Book 2: HomeFront
by horsemens
Summary: Leonardo is having doubts about his skills as a Ninja after witnessing tactics he hasn't seen before. The only logical explanation is to learn from a true Master (or at least someone who didn't learn solely by a book). Meanwhile, Bebop and Rocksteady aren't doing so well. Wonder why? 2k14/16 Universe. Please read "Somewhere In China" beforehand.
1. Rise of a New Eire

Not long has passed since then, but much has changed since the last time we've encountered them. Still to this day, my father lays ill. His state remains a mystery, but the cause is all too certain. The turtle girl, identified as one of our genetic experiments labeled "Aphrodite" now Venus de Milo, had performed a hex of some sorts that has brought down my master. Just like father's state, her ability to perform wizardry and her absence, aside from the other male turtle's, is questionable as well. If it could get any more puzzling, the terrapins were accompanied by a lizard-like girl.

After just one raid into their lair with our new allies, the mutated pig and rhino men who we are now to call Bebop and Rocksteady (aside the pig's wishes not to, it was necessary to cover up their tracks and keep their names and whereabouts away from the public and for security reasons) we had captured her and were able to turn her into one of us. Sadly, the incompetence of my "powerful" brother left the mutant reptiles an open invitation to infiltrate our lab once more and steal her away.

How could he be so… stupid? He had three the first time, but did he not apprehend the brunette woman named April O'Neil. Of course, father was the last one to leave our facilities before leaving to Sacks' tower, but as the last one in the lab, he should have put a lock on the screen so we wouldn't come back to find out they were pumped with adrenaline briefly after all had gone. He could have also shipped the severely weakened terrapins before their furious brother knocked down our doors for an extra measure. I was already at Sacks' tower in the warehouse; getting my men ready to pack away some of our stolen items in Sacks boxes to keep any authorities or other people of the public finding them. I couldn't do anything. I wasn't informed of anything. When I heard from Eric and using some clues from the media that he was hit over the head briefly after shooting one of the two, I grew furious. If he had called me once when he found those two sneaking around, I would personally go up to his level and shoot them both dead; Not tell stories, beat around the bush, shoot at random places to keep them away. They would have been dead. Dead. What happened? She takes our precious mutagen and drops it along with our father. Could you imagine how much it would be worth if we were able to succeed in our plot? Even if we didn't, do you know how much scientists would pay for that? More than what I get in a year, I know. But no, my big brother wanted to play around and shoot a gun for a little bit.

Then, came his second chance. Now, there are six mutants he could capture and kill if he wanted. We even had Bebop and Rocksteady along with our mutagen rejects Rocksteady calls Tokah and Rahzar. He ends up with our controlled Lizard woman, named Mona Lisa, and Venus together in a room. He assumed that Mona would win their fight with extreme prejudice, but again, he was wrong. Playing around, he froze as he saw the turtle light up and speak in two voices. He refused to phone help. Watched, stood behind a table and just watched. He asks "What could you have done?" I reply "Something." We could have done "Something". Maybe, shoot her? Not with just a gun. Perhaps a rocket or a grenade, something. Next, he wakes up hiding behind a table looking into my eyes as if it were all my fault that the six of them came into **our** facilities and walked out. It shocks me how surprised he could be about his own idiotic actions.

How could a CEO of a company be so ignorant? He deals with so many complicated situations that come from a million dollar company, yet he can't phone for help when he sees a turtle lighting up in his home? That's why I had to take charge. With father sick and unsure when he will return, the Foot as well as I, have changed hands in who's in command. With an iron fist, I have declared myself as the ghost of my father until he wakes. My brother, who has never stopped complaining, is now the head of the Foot clan, which is what I used to do. Eric would always cry about the messes my men have made and claim he's too old when doing the dirty work on the street. He was always such a weak little man. Why would father give him the glory and satisfaction of living the high-life as a millionaire? Maybe it was because he knew I could take it and rough it out. I was living on my own as a child in Japan in a war stricken village. Sacks was orphaned as well, but it was only for about a week. I was stealing food for months until he found me. Despite my dirty past, this new life that is light and clean never felt as good as I watch my brother squirm, just as a good sister should.

Now that I'm in command, I make the plans and how they should be carried out. The creatures Tokah and Rahzar were relieved of their duties as fighters for the time being after their poor performance when given the chance. Until they are properly trained, they will serve as the Foot's heavy lifters in the warehouse and on raids. Bebop and Rocksteady are partial commanders of some areas of the Foot to tap their leadership skills so they could better communicate with one another as well as us when needed. Now, the turtles will not be our targets until we have Plan A, B, to Z covered. I will not allow any room for error, unlike my brother.

After some thinking and consulting with some "friends" and "acquaintances" from the streets, I began to see a reoccurring theme in the changes of power. As I observed them, I began to question myself: How do gangs become so powerful? How do they expand their territories and their memberships? For months I have studied the source, watching them, taking notes physiologically and physically. It was until it hit me that I had to speak with someone. The Foot have already taken Japan only through those who still believe in the legend and fear of the clan as well as my father after terrorizing the most traditional of cities and villages. The only reasonable solution is to take on another part of Asia that is small enough to control yet powerful to the world. I have a country in mind, but it depends how my partner feels about our little deal.


	2. Ninja's Revenge

_"Bounce with me, bounce with me_

 _C-can you bounce with me, bounce with me_

 _Can I hit it in the morning, without giving you half of my doe_

 _And even worse, if I was broke would you want me?"_

"Mikey! Turn it off!" Leonardo's voice deepened as he tried to get the message across to his brother in the newly created jam room. The young turtle had the stereo on blast playing Jay Z's "Can I Get A…" so it could be heard within the sanctity of their new dojo.

"Sensei said I can play with it! Leeeeeave meeee aloooone!" He shouted back in an annoyed and childish tone.

"Change it so we can go!" Mona shouted back. She continued to don her old-style ninjitsu pink clothing despite some discomfort from the tightness of her upper torso.

"Yeah, I can't get my trainin' mojo goin' on if I'm listenin' to that 90s slow jam." A red clad turtle called. His purple clad brother turned to him slightly. A confused, yet sarcastic look took over his face as he looked down on him.

"Raph? It's not slow-jam." He spoke slowly. Raphael looked back at him incredulously. He felt the urge to spit explanation back at his brother who seemed to be deeming him as some sort of idiot; Donatello meant it to feel as such.

"It's from the 90s, it's slow, and it was somebody's jam when it came out." His fat pointing finger tapped Donnie's forehead squarely. "Details."

The tune of the lair stopped abruptly until it made up in a different, more upbeat tune.

 _"Did you realize that you were a Champion in their eyes?_

 _Yes I did, so I backed it up and brought it back to the crib"_

"Not fast enough!" Raphael shouted once more after Kanye's "Champion" wasn't sinking in either.

"Ya'll are so picky!" He heard Mikey whine, who was struggling with the seek button to find the right track.

 _"As I combine all the juice from the mind_

 _Heel-up, wheel-up, bring it back, come rewind_

 _RA RA like a Dungeon Dragon, like a dungeon dragon…"_

The sound of Busta Rhymes starting off "Roman's Revenge" gained approval through a couple mutant reptiles nodding their heads slightly. Mikey popped out of the room, missing their approval and shrugged.

"It'll do." Raphael's eyes went to the back of his head, his head bobbing side to side and then carrying on. Mikey sighed in relief and came down to meet his family. Following behind him was a female turtle, who was helping him to select the right music by handing him albums.

"Is it the clean version? Sensei'll kill you if he hears one vulgar word." Venus warned as she passed by them all, seeking the center of their newly designed dojo. Michelangelo wasn't far behind her as he entered the dojo with the rest of his family.

"I know the drill, I checked it." He droned, making assuring hand gestures as he looked to the ceiling.

Waiting for his students to arrive, Master Splinter was sitting down on his own personal mat. His six students grew silent as they approached him and kneeled beside him. After many sessions earlier, they all bowed their heads to him in unison with respect until lifted them back up to listen to their sensei and adopted father.

"For today, it will be a "No Weapons" session. The only weapons you may use are your arms, legs, and your mind. This is called…" He paused, encouraging them to answer.

"Tajiutsu." They all spoke in unison. Splinter nodded his head.

"Very good." Raphael raised his hand briefly.

"Doesn't Mikey have a disadvantage?" He smirked. His joke was funny some to the others, but not Michelangelo, who leaned over to stare down his biggest brother.

"Doesn't your face have a disadvantage?" He spit back. Raphael sat up a bit. His eyebrows grew closer to his eyes as he squinted. What the shell was he talking about, he was thinking. After seeing his brother's reaction to his shots fired, Michelangelo nodded and smiled. "Mm Hm, I'm awesome. Take caution."

"That is enough." Their sensei spoke firmly at his two warring sons. Both took their gazes off one another and brought their eyes back to the robed rat. "To begin, Leonardo take Donatello. Mona Lisa take Michelangelo. Venus and Raphael at the end." He pointed to each of his students as he called their names. Each one stood when called upon and joined with their opponent where Splinter has asked them to partake in their lesson. "This little exercise is not a test, but will give you a good idea as to how well you battle hand-to-hand with opponents of various skills and sizes. Your mission is to find a way to conquer them all. The one who pins the other down will be the victor."

As Splinter walked down the line of his students, they took on a fighting stance. When walking by the end, he was able to hear the mild trash talk amongst them, most memorably, the words exchanged between Raphael and Venus de Milo.

"Think you can handle fighting without your magic?" He heard him tease, referring to her "historical" victory against the brain-controlled Mona Lisa.

"Bring it on, Princess!" Venus urged with a smile, flapping her fingers against her palms to motion him towards her. Raphael cocked a grin to the side, excited to do what he does best, and Venus was only getting him ready even more. Master Splinter tried to stifle his subtle laughter to allow them to begin their exercise.

"Hajime!" He coughed, still holding in his chuckle.

" _Like a kick and a punch slaps and two chops_

 _Kinda like pong poong badoose bop_

 _Beat em until he thinking he Tupac_

 _He won't pertain, leave a few knots_

 _Rope 'em and then drag 'em a few blocks (horrible)"_

Over time, there were three victories and three losses. Despite Raphael's trash talk, Venus delivered the final swift kicks across the chest and legs, sending the big turtle down. He took the defeat rather well, congratulating her and explaining the result of their fight was because she was small and quick and he was big and steady. The turtle girl had smiled and couldn't agree more. Leonardo surpassed Donatello's coordinated moves by using the bulk of him to overthrow his tallest brother. Michelangelo and Mona's fight was the most impressive. No matter how many times Michelangelo delivered any kick or punch that could send someone flying, Mona was ready for it with either a block, roll, or spin to avoid it. Her dodging skills ay have been on point, but eventually, Michelangelo had his arms pinned to her back after getting her off balance. The next round of fighters joined up with their next opponent.

For the next round, only four fought due to the fact that their fights almost migrated into another's and messed with the system. Leonardo and Donatello used their break to watch Venus go against Michelangelo, or as they dubbed them, the "flippers". Along with their viewing pleasure, they relished in the hilarity and unexpected coming from the brawl between Raphael and Mona Lisa, also dubbed the "big attitudes".

Every so often, one would get a lucky shot as the other tried to block every kick, punch, and slap. Both made sure they used their advantages against one another. Yes, both Raphael and Mona Lisa had made amends and were getting along better; they were still their old selves: determined to win. Raphael ducked down, anticipating the swinging tail Mona Lisa possessed. Just like Venus had, Raphael would always remind her that she had the better advantage of the extra limb. In turn, Mona would talk about his strength, but telling him in her version was never always flattering.

"You fight almost as well as a man." The smug turtle commented as he and Mona locked hands for a moment. His strength surged through her hands all the way to her shoulders as he pushed her back. The female's might was the only thing keeping her up, but any longer, she was destined to lose and fall backwards.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you." She managed to spit back. Unhappy with her little comment, the big turtle forced her hands down to her sides. The lizard lady was unsure of what he was planning to do, but the way his massive hands began to slide up towards her wrists told her that this was going to get real.

His arms wrapped around her torso, squeezing down hard as he lifted her off the ground. Mona Lisa was helpless as she was unable to gain ground or fight back effectively with her arms at her sides. She could hear him guffaw at her measly efforts to fight back before he could declare his victory. With some quick thinking, she thought up of an ingenious way to set herself free. Mona's head turned slightly to allow her tongue to run slowly against the smooth skin that made up his cheek. Almost immediately, did the turtle realize what the warm yet cold feeling on the side of his face was and released her of his grip to wipe her saliva off. As he gagged and wiped his face off, his giant calves were struck by a whipping tail that forced him to the ground. Raphael couldn't recount what was happening when he saw a smiling lizard lady sitting on his plastron as if it were a porch chair as she relished in her victory.

"What the shell was that?!" Mona continued to look into his amber eyes in a joyous way that annoyed him more. "I wanna rematch!" Instead of getting the chance to redeem himself, Mona Lisa shook her head, laughing all the more.

"Sensei said 'Body' and my tongue is part of my body." Then, realizing what her actions had brought upon her, Mona's tongue clicked against the roof of her mouth. She took her basic, smooth hand to scrap off the acidity of her tongue. Despite their recent fight, her hand felt cool and less acidic than Raphael's sweat. "You're really salty right now and it's not just your attitude." She winked. Raphael's gaze looked to the floor, then back up to Mona. This time, his face softened into one that read that Mona was right and it was a pretty smart move. Seeing this, Mona jumped off of the hulk of a turtle and extended a firm hand that helped him off of the ground.

"Bravo, Mona. Way to take advantage of what I've said." Their sensei applauded. Mona Lisa slightly bowed. From the corner of her eye, she could see Raphael smiling smugly. From then on, she knew Raphael was going to really try to get her next time. Challenge Accepted, she thought.

As their sessions went on, more fell and more were left standing. So far, Venus had been the only one undefeated; her latest win against Michelangelo. Leonardo could have also been undefeated but he had only one fight/win under his belt as opposed to Venus' two. Also climbing the ranks, Raphael was finally able to get on the charts with a win over Michelangelo. Donatello fought only twice; his record 1-1 after out-coordinating Mona Lisa by standing balanced and on his feet. To end the exercise, Splinter insisted that the undefeated, 2-0 champ go up against the 1-0 winner that usually had a 2/3 chance of winning against his own siblings.

The two had the floor to themselves. Each turtle in blue stood across from each other. Leonardo cocked an eyebrow at her as she squatted down and lifted her fists up.

"No fair that you get to fight twice and I have to fight for a third." From the tone of her voice and the look on her face, Leonardo knew she was trying to play him. The leader smirked.

"Time to see what you're really made of." He said almost in a whisper. The turtle girl's brows lowered, but a half smile jerked to her left side.

"Kick his shell, V!" Donnie shouted through cupped hands. Both fighters took their eyes off one another and gazed upon the shouters.

"No mercy!" Raphael yelled. Leonardo shook his head as Venus smiled shyly at her admirers.

"Can we silence the peanut gallery?" The leader in blue grumbled in a very low voice behind him.

"Aw, Leo's angry with his lack of fans." Mikey whined in a baby's voice, earning further annoyance to the eldest brother.

"I got your back, Leo!" A feminine voice made its way through the deep bellows. "Make her cry!" He couldn't see who it was behind him since he decided to take his focus off of his brothers and onto Venus, but he knew exactly who it was. In response, he gave her a thumbs up to acknowledge her support/

"You're such a great sister, Mona." He could hear Donatello speak, nudging her on the arm. The lizard lady shrugged. Then, she looked up into the nerd's brown eyes with her hands placed on her hips.

"Just like you guys, right?" Donnie smiled back and nodded, knowing very well that she was no better siblings than she was.

 _"Na na na Diva is a female version of a hustla'_

 _Of a hustla', of a, of a hustla'_

 _Na na na Diva is the female version of a hustla'_

 _Of a hustla', of a, of a hustla'_

 _Stop the track, let me state facts_

 _I told you give me a minute, and I'll be right back"_

Just before the song could change from "Ante Up" to "Diva", their sensei called it.

"Hajime!"

In no time at all, Leonardo went in. The female turtle held up her arms, her forearms moved from side-to-side, protecting her upper torso as the lightning fast punches came towards her. Their small crowd cheered in for their favorite turtle. Of course, Venus' was heard, but Leonardo's was the loudest. With the motivation of the turtles behind her, Venus stopped her blocks and went in to attack. The female turtle ducked under one of his punches and came back up closer to him. In doing this, her two arms slipped into the gap between his arms and chest. Her own arms spread out his own, exposing his weak spot. Venus got a good could jabs at his chest before he was able to close the gap and block for them. He wouldn't admit it, but Leonardo felt only a smidge of embarrassment that he was in a bind for a while. Usually, his brothers would tire out quickly or do something to mess them up such as using a different punch or slap that was easy for the leader to read. Instead, here he was with this "small" turtle that came in like hail. The closing in cheers from her fans freaked him out to find an escape route. Just as he found it, he waited for Venus' short moment of sheer focus until he leaned back slightly to swing his foot across her legs.

The move confused her, as if she didn't know what hit her. That was when Leonardo knew he had her. He quickly went in for the pin, but was left with a solid floor after the female turtle hastily rolled away and got to her feet. Before she could have the chance to try to pin him, Leonardo picked himself up off the floor and held his fists up. Venus put hers up as well. Before continuing their duel, Venus took the second to examine her legs. There were no cuts on them and one could have been lightly bruised, but other than that, she was fine. She looked up at Leonardo, who was breathing just as heavily as her.

"So, that's how you want to play it, huh?" A drop of sweat escaped from the side of her mask and rolled down her cheek. Leonardo merely shrugged, smiling at his accomplishment. Then, Venus cocked her head to the side, deciphering what she wanted to do next. "Mona! She called, not looking at her sister. "Do you remember 'Yuàn zhě shànggōu'?" The lizard lady shrugged as the eyes of the watching turtles fell upon her. It was then, her face lit up. Not in joyous surprise, but almost a look of horror.

"Leo, watch-!" but her words didn't come quick enough. Venus de Milo was already on the verge of attack. Instead of running to him head on, the turtle girl took a different route by coming around him like a high jumper would. The tactic confused the leader as he tried to list some sort of retaliation against whatever she was going to do. Just before he could try to block what was coming to him as she reached him, it was already too late.

Her actions were quick, but Leonardo watched in slow motion as his mind registered what had happened to his body. Her body wound up tight, and then released itself. Venus' arms were spread out like a helicopter. The reaction of it caused her to spin numerous times until a leg extended out to strike. The lean green leg punched into the foundation of his arm, despite his attempts to block. The bigger turtle had no time to hold his pain and recover as the top of a turtle began to fall to the side. Despite her fall, her arms were reliable as they supported her into a quick handstand until the momentum of her actions flipped her over. The one flip was only the halftime show as her body continued to torpedo until the same leg stuck her opponent again, sending him flying down. Leonardo's body hit hard on his side. Quickly, Venus leaned over him to declare her win against him. Through squinted eyes still in some pain and shock, he could make out the smile that graced her face as her "fans" picked her up and cheered. Leonardo sat up, watching them frolic around. Mona Lisa, on the other hand, approached him. Mona cocked a smile as she leaned over and extended a hand to him.

"Better luck next time, eh Leo?" The leader gave her a small chuckle and accepted her hand to get him off the floor. When he did, the cheering began to silence itself when Master Splinter came over to speak with them.

"Well done, my daughter. You have proven you are exceptional at Tajiutsu, for today." He added the last part to remind her not to become cocky and that the others may have just had a bad day. Venus remained smiling and bowed to her sensei. "That will be all for today. You have done well, my students."

Not giving their sensei any chance to change his mind, the young reptiles removed themselves from the dojo. Aside from training, they had other things on their agenda such as working on secret projects or catching up on TV marathons. Before disappearing into the rest of the lair, Donatello realized they were missing a part of their squad. His father brushed past him as he turned around to look into their dojo. Leonardo stood right where he was lifted up. He kept a hand on his hip as he stared down on the floor. It appeared that he was really thinking as he looked upon the ground on which he stood. Donnie was a little hesitant to ask what he was thinking, yet, he felt there was no harm in doing so.

"Hey, Leo." His call gained the blue eyes from the ground. "You coming?" Donnie pointed a thumb into the other room where the rest of the family resided. The leader took a quick glance back to the floor. Then, he took a step towards his direction, keeping his eyes on the ground.

"Yeah."


	3. There is More Than Meets the Eye

In the living room, it was beginning to come alive with gunshots and mechanical tones echoing off the cemented walls. Aside from Leonardo, the rest of the reptilian teenagers took the time to continue the three-hour movie that was _Transformers 4_. The family had been great fans to the movie franchise. Donatello may have looked up on the movie and the internet didn't seem as happy with the finished products, but they simply ignored their hate words. The sound of excitement and explosions along with battling robots traveling around the world was by far the most exciting thing they could see for years underneath the New York streets. Instead of popcorn, the family had their master of disguise go out in the dawn of that morning to bring back some grub. The lizard lady, despite the bright white lights that lit up the store, was unquestioned as she shopped in the heavy clothes and gloved hands. It was Walmart after all.

Crunching wrappers were barely audible under the ringing sounds of gunshots. They mostly watched the movie because it was the last one made so far and their female roommates had yet to catch up on the excitement before the new one could pop up any day then.

Lingering in the kitchen, Leonardo watched them silently. His large frame leaned onto the counter, watching the TV from afar. The rooms were dark, so when there was a bright flash of light or explosion, he was able to make out the moving heads that jerked back in surprise. He sat back there, using one of his hands to moderately rub the side of his head. It felt good to him as if each swipe of his hand pulled away some stress that lived in his brain. It wasn't that he didn't like the movie (Optimus was his fave), but the events from earlier made him think. It wasn't normal for him to just get beat like that. Of course, his brothers have beaten him time and time again, but only because he reacted slowly to their predictable moves, just as they would react to his when they lost. But, this was different. Leonardo didn't know what was happening. Even the Foot were predictable and he just about fought a few for the first time and crushed them. Venus was here for how long? And she beat him by doing what? It was ninjistu for sure, but not the way he's seen it. After some hard thought, he knew the next logical solution was sitting next door.

Leonardo lifted himself off of the counter and ventured out to his sensei. The elder turtle almost tip toed to his father's quarters, as if the sound of the TV wasn't already disrupting the peace of their home. He stuck his head into the room. Splinter sat in his bundle of blankets over a child's mattress that was perfect for his size. The candles were lit, aiding him with light and scent while he kept his eyes in his book. Since Splinter had developed his skills in reading from his advanced intellect in part with the scientific experiments he was subjected to, the old rat found interest in reading novels as his escape. Donatello was the most happiest of this trait because Splinter was able to read complex stories and explain intricate details flawlessly. In his paws currently was a secondhand copy of _Eat, Pray, Love_. After some scrounging around, Raphael completed his father's three year quest to read the worthy novel.

"Master Splinter?" Leonardo spoke quietly to not disturb his father completely. His right ear twitched at the sound. His black eyes looked up from the words in his paws and saw his oldest son. His lips curled into a light smile as he rested the book onto his lap. Even from the distance between them, he could see the uneasiness of his child when he looked upon him.

"Come over, Leonardo." He advised. Obediently, Leonardo approached his sensei cautiously. This brought great surprise to the rat. Leonardo was always comfortable when speaking to him, but he was off for some reason. "Something is troubling you, if I am not correct." Leonardo nodded his head, keeping his eyes glued to the floor.

"Yes, sensei." Slowly, the turtle kneeled down before his master until he settled down in a relaxed position with his legs crossed. From this, it signaled his father that they may be talking for a while.

"What is it?" Splinter asked, anticipating his concerns.

"It's about today's session." He began softly. "Venus beat me." Splinter waved a hand to disrupt his son politely as he could.

"This shouldn't be about you being defeated by a female." The old rat warned. Leonardo wanted so much to stop his father from beginning that route, but his sensei kept him silent with hand cues and stern looks. "The opposite sex is no less capable of performing any grueling tasks you could do."

"Of course, Master, but that's not what I'm troubled about." He was finally able to express his feelings towards that aspect of the situation. Master Splinter's expression softened. He closed his eyes for a brief moment, registering his findings and opened them back to see his son waiting for him to let him continue to express his concerns.

"Excuse my assumptions. Please, continue." Leonardo nodded and began.

"Venus beat me, but in the craziest way. Her moves were unlike anything I have seen before." The image of Venus' flawless tactic continued to replay in his mind, acting as a haunting reminder of his incapabilities to see it coming.

"Venus is a skilled kunoichi with a human ninjitsu master who had been properly trained in martial arts."

"Don't discredit yourself in the making, sensei." He said sincerely. Master Splinter repositioned himself, moving his tail from one side to another. "So far, your students saved the world at least once. Their sensei hadn't." The comment put a little smile onto Splinter's face, which reflected back to his son who felt warm after complementing his father. Then, Leo's smile began to fade as his initial issue came back to him. "After seeing what she was able to do, I thought about how much more I could be taught. You know my hand-to-hand is solid and my swordsmanship is way better than most older than me, but after what I've seen, I know that I cannot stop everything that is thrown at me." The turtle paused. "I guess what I'm asking from you is to teach me something new."

Leonardo looked up from his hands and into the eyes of his Master. From what he saw was indifferent. With every second the rat failed to speak, it clinched onto Leonardo's heart that he would be denied the chance. Then, he saw Splinter's dulled claws stroke the sleeve of his opposite arm.

"New? Leonardo, I do not have that capability." He admitted sullenly. His ears fell down along with his head as it bowed in defeat. Quickly, Leonardo's thoughts rushed over him all at once. His voice stumbled and stuttered as he tried to speak. The turtle lurched out to his father. The turtle's upper body rested onto the lap and book of his sensei. His hands lightly grasped his fragile legs.

"There's got to be more that you can teach me!" He begged, feeling his darkest thoughts hit him in the gut. Splinter shook his head. It hurt him to see his son so upset to not be able to pursue his passions.

"I fear I have taught you all that I know." Master Splinter spoke low as he let his reassuring hand slide over the top of his son's bald head. "Everything now is keeping you all sharp."

"Master? If I could have a word with you." A voice came from afar. Splinter looked up from his son to see his other visitor. Leonardo turned his head as he lifted himself out of his father's lap. As the two looked at the guest, Venus stepped in front of Mona Lisa by the entrance of his quarters.


	4. Stand and Deliver

Leonardo sat patiently outside with his brothers. Master Splinter requested that he leave so he may speak with the girls. It could have been so he would hear something he shouldn't and get worked up about it, or just so the girls would be more comfortable speaking to their adoptive father respectively. They paused the movie, along with the reckless noise with it so the three inside could talk. That, and possibly catch some words with a little bit of eavesdropping. Michelangelo would try to force his ear to pick up the smallest of sounds behind a far away wall, but only barely with the held in breaths of all four of the brothers could he pick up a measly word that meant nothing to him. Donatello had begged for the young turtle to give up, but Mikey always wanted to be the spy.

Then, they heard the call.

"Leonardo." Their father's faltering voice hit the blue clad turtle as he immediately shot up from the couch and headed towards his sensei's quarters. Not far behind did his brothers follow, but a no-look, raise of his hand stop them in their tracks as he continued his way down. Leonardo felt his heart lighten up when he entered the room. The three inside turned to him quickly, smiles plastered on all faces. He approached Splinter cautiously as he waited to hear the verdict.

"If you truly wish to excel, I will appoint you a new sensei." Wait. What?

"A **new** sensei?" Leonardo spoke slowly. His head depreciated as his eyes dilated to incredible size. Foe all of his life, he knew he would only learn from his father, who, at the time, was the only person he could actually learn from. Now, after all the new events that have happened so quickly, he was going to meet someone completely different. They probably have different ways of teaching. Maybe they're nicer, or worse, stricter than Master Splinter? His years of retaining a great relationship with his sensei had finally run out in exchange to earn the same appreciation with an authentic, Japanese human instructor. Venus put an arm around his shoulder, smiling as she enjoyed his look of disbelief. Wanting to snap him out of it, Mona gripped his chin delicately and pulled it up. He blinked his eyes a couple times as she directed his face towards hers. Her soft studying and reassurance in her brown doe-like eyes soothed him as she spoke.

"She's a kunoichi, but will serve you well as a ninjitsu master."

"You are going to be sent to China to seek help from her." Splinter announced. The leader briefly shook his head, putting a hand to the side of it.

"I'm going to China?" He turned to Venus, who still had an arm around him. Her head nodded sweetly. "I'm going to China." He said quieter, accepting their solution.

"How will I know where to find her? Send me a map or something but, let's be serious. I'm gonna be way out of my element." Leonardo joked partially. Venus let her hand slip off of him. She turned towards him, swinging her body to one side with her hand on her hip. Her light blue bandana head cocked to the side in the cutest way.

"Well, no one said you were going alone."

"So," he turned to Splinter, letting a small smile form in his lips. "Mikey, Donnie, and Raph are coming too?" he asked excitedly. Never had he gone with his brothers somewhere far by themselves and definitely **not** out of the country. Yet, his sensei shook his head.

"No. Your brothers will stay." The smile that Leonardo was working on faded quicker than it came.

"But you just said-."

"The girls will be escorting you to their home." Splinter interrupted. The sleeve of his robe extended towards the two reptilian girls before them. One of them showed their appreciation towards their sensei comically a twist of the braids and an involuntary brush of the hand down their forearm; the other smiled briefly, but it wasn't as assuring as the reactions from the turtle girl. Both Leonardo and the elderly rat got a kick out of her "nonchalant" motions. "This is a wonderful leadership opportunity for you. The full responsibility of your brothers will not be on your shoulders as you take this time to rely only on yourself and train with the best. Then, and only then, will you return as their leader and new teacher." Teacher, he said teacher, Leo was thinking.

"Really, sensei?" Leo asked in incredulity.

"Really."

Astonished, or better yet, overjoyed that he may train with the best of ninjitsu, Leonardo couldn't think of a better way to thank his father and adopted sisters than to shower them with warm "thank you"'s followed by a hug that was meant to pop their eyeballs out of their sockets, but his better self refrained him from doing so. The receivers returned his appreciation in a hug.

"It will be so nice to see home again." Venus commented as Leonardo let her go out of his hug. Mona Lisa shrugged.

"Yeah." She replied without reserve.

"You don't sound very excited." The room became silent. The lizard lady folded her arms into herself and rocked side to side.

"I love home, I really do but-." She cut herself off, thinking of a better way of putting her point. "I don't think going back will be good for me."

"But, you… wanted to go months ago." The room became silent again. Leonardo wanted to take back bringing up the sensitive subject from earlier. That fight got too heated too fast and eventually broke the two sisters. Of course, they have patched up and mended their relationship, but Leonardo wouldn't want to risk it by scratching the surface. Instead of relying on that past piece of information, they avoided it altogether.

"I just can't, okay." Mona lifted her head up high. "Going back to that house, seeing the sights and such might bring back some memories." She toyed with her bottom lip, holding back bits that she didn't want to enter their discussion. "Memories I'd rather forget." Mona admitted sullenly. Then, her expression lightened up and her arms unfolded. "Besides, you're capable of handling yourself. I trust you to go back and help Leonardo." She placed a webbed hand on her little sister's freckled shoulder. Venus looked down at it and back to the brown eyes of her sister in amazement.

"Are you really letting me do this on my own?" She asked eagerly. Mona Lisa bobbed her head up and down. Her smile grew bigger in amusement to her sister's reaction as the turtle squeezed her tight. She felt as if she had given her sister the biggest gift she's ever received from her.

"Of course I'll come if you'd need me, but until I get it, I trust you will come back here in one piece." Finishing, Mona's gaze went from her sister to Leonardo. She raised her brow at him, warning him to look out for her or he'll come home to a vengeful older sister. Catching her intentions, Leonardo nodded and put both of his hands up to his chest in surrender that he acknowledged her threat and accepted it. When he did, Mona lowered her brow and looked back to her sister who removed herself from her body.

"Thank you."

"So," The two broke their little "love fest" and turned to Leonardo, who took a sneaking step towards them his hands behind his shell. "Do I get to know her name?" He meant the name of his new sensei. Venus nodded.

"Her name is Hamato Miwa."


	5. Obsessed

Later in the afternoon, the New York day life slowed down to prepare for its outrageous night life. In spite of the rush of the dark beginning to overcome the city, April was taking her time in her bedroom as she dressed herself for success. The young woman was finishing curling her ends in loose curls like she would do normally. On her body was a modest deep magenta blouse with black slacks and small heels. The heat from the iron as well as the natural heat coming from the summer air made her bedroom feel like a sauna. For some reason, her air conditioner was not doing its job correctly in her quarters. Finally done with her hair, April reached out for her doorknob to escape the heat. As soon as she pushed the door open, the cool air that filled the living room hit her face and refreshed it with its icy breath. April took her first breath of the cool air when she noticed that her guest had made her way from the kitchen table to her couch.

The young girl was sprawled out on the couch. As most teenagers would, her ears were filled with her own ear buds and music. Instead of her usual purple hoodie with her name on it, Angel sported a pair of long shorts and a white tee with "I Shot the Sheriff" plastered on it. Without her hat, Angel's box braids were removed of their usual look and were knotted up in a bun. The young adult traveled to the kitchen, lightly giggling to the partial whispering Angel did when listening to her music. Hearing the sound of her heels in the background of Missy Elliot's "WTF (Where They From)" Angel opened up her eyes. She was able to catch a glimpse of the well dressed woman before she disappeared behind the couch. Angel grabbed the base of her ear buds and yanked them down and out of her ears.

"Where you headed out to April?" Angel lifted herself up, putting her legs and knees underneath her as she overlooked the couch. April was searching through her small purse for her makeup bag.

"I have a job interview in a while. I might be getting a job as a reporter again."

"Back at Channel 6?" Angel questioned. April stopped her fidgeting when she found her small black bag. She unzipped the mesh bag and pulled out a fat black tube.

"Yeah." She answered, not at all sounding too proud of herself.

"Girl, if you need some backup, know I'm right here. I'll call up all my cousins and hang 'em all sideways." The Latina's lips protruded as she presented her two hands in the forms of guns over the top of the couch. April laughed and shook her head, then opened the cap to her rouge shade of lipstick.

"Thanks Angel, but I think I got it this time. Did you get your homework done?" She presented her lips to the small mirror she picked up as she carefully colored them.

"When you say 'done' " One of Angel's eyes were partially closed, holding it tightly in the same position as she spoke in an airy tone that beat around the bush. ",do you mean it's partially done so I could deal with it later or done as in-?"

"Completely done." April stated blankly. She shut the cap to the lipstick and stuck it back in its mesh bag.

"But I can do it later!" She whined.

"Why not now than later?"

"'Cause now I'm tired." Angels closed her eyes tight with her face towards the ceiling.

"Then you can take a nap afterwards." April was pleased to know that their little debate was at its end when she heard Angel groan and the sound of the couch creaking as she got up. Despite April's smile, the Latina scowled when she got near the kitchen table with her backpack lying on top of it. It was April's fault anyways that she had to do homework over the summer. Her teacher told her that she could be able to take Honors classes if she could finish the previous work other students have done. She shouldn't have told April so she could have a school-free summer like the rest of her friends, but nooo! April believed in her abilities to succeed above others. Angel made sure April heard her as she let the chair drag onto the floor, and then drag it again when she pulled herself towards the table.

"So, when are you coming back?" She asked as she opened her backpack and rustled through her things.

"I don't know how long they'll keep me in." April placed her makeup bag in her purse, which was then zipped up. The small bag was strung over her shoulder, complementing her outfit nicely. "I might make a couple stops before I come back." April walked over to the wall with the thermostat on it. Her two fingers turned the dial up to change the room from 79 degrees to 82 for the sake of the mildly cold night ahead so the home could be perfect when she returned.

"Where are you stopping at? Your friend's house?" Angel inquired.

"What?" April took her eyes off the thermostat and to the teenager. "No, the grocery store. You said we're out of string cheese and juice, right?"

"Yeah." In spite of the answer given to her, April had to make sure by checking the fridge. Angel was the type of girl to ask for more juice just so she could have a big collection. The girl liked her juice. "Do you hang out with your friends a lot?" Angel's queries were beginning to become very random for April. Her interview at Channel 6 and trying not to mess it up were already on her mind. Yet, her spontaneous drills within her mind of reminding her what to and what not to say were being interrupted with needless questions.

"You and Taylor are always around." April responded, wishing it would put an end to the girl's questions.

"But that's during the day. You is like twenty somethin', so you got a night life." Angel smiled while raising a brow. April smiled slightly too, despite being annoyed. "Them 'special friends' of yours, are they special to you or there's something special about them altogether?" April looked up from her notepad after jotting down a few things that they needed.

"Why do you always ask?" She ripped a piece off the pad, folded it up, and inserted it into her purse aggressively. Angel noticed her belligerent actions. Her eyes began to grow wide. A small hand was placed on her chest as she retracted her head back and towards her neck.

"What?"

"You've suddenly become curious about my life lately. Where I'm going, who's going to be there… you sound like my mom or something." It felt good to let all that go. April took a quick breath before setting herself back up for success by composing herself.

"I'm 14, I like to ask questions."

"I know." April smiled. "And my friends are pretty special."

"Which way?" April took a second to think her answer out carefully. She didn't want to give her friends away to her.

"I guess both. They're like family, but how we came to be is rather odd." Angel nodded her head in acceptance. April sighed internally that she din't have to further explain herself to her.

"If they like yo fam and I'm like yo fam," Angel took one hand to represent her and the other to represent April's friends. "Then why don't we get both fams together and get a mega-fam?" Angel mashed both hands together, demonstrating her theory. "Hm?" April shook her head, and then cocked it to the side, which is what she'd normally do when trying to explain something.

"My friends are really hesitant when it comes to meeting new people." She made sure to space out each word equally to emphasize their impact on the Latina who just wasn't going to let up.

"Girl, I will turn a couple notches down for 'em." Angel pretended to turn a knob in the air with her five fingers jerking to the right. "Promise I won't scare them away." She swore with a scout's honor.

"That's not who I'm worried about scaring the other." April said under her breath.

"Can I at least meet just one of them? Maybe Mikey?" The question stopped April dead in her tracks. Angel knew exactly who and kind of what he was, but after seeing April tense up like that, she knew she got her.

"Where did you hear that name?" April asked quizzically, hoping that she did not blow her friend's cover accidentally.

"You told me about him. Fool sounds cool." Angel answered, lying to cover up her truth. Upon hearing that Angel only knows so much as their names, April sighed in relief and nodded.

"Hm. You and Mikey are sort'of alike, but I don't think so." April really wanted to escape their conversation and was happy to know that she was going to be late to her interview if she didn't catch the subway. Her heels clicked as she strutted over to the door. As she did, she listened to Angel call out to her.

"You gotta introduce me to them sooner or later April. Go on and get with yo interview. I'll be doin' my homework like a pure angel." Angel placed her hands underneath her head, her fingers supporting her chin. She flashed April a dazzling smile with inviting eyes. If only she had a halo to complete her look. April rolled her eyes, knowing good and well that Angel was not the angelic person she often portrayed herself.

"Good." Was the last thing April said when she shut her apartment door and locked it behind her. When April was out, Angel was by herself in the apartment. She stayed true to her word that she would finish a portion of her summer work. Yet, as she tried to read the section's directions, she couldn't help but be distracted by the number of questions that sat in her mind. For months she had been putting clues together by reading April's behavioral changes and playing her own version of Kim's game by questioning anything that has moved or missing, hoping her "Big Sister" would give in and tell her the truth about her friends. For now, she was confirmed that there is a "Mikey" and he is one of the special friends as well as that her rescue was **not** a figment of her imagination. If only she could see her rescuer again, but this time in the light. That way, she could see his face and not the outlining of it in the dark neighborhoods. Yet, this reality was not in her hands. It was all up to whenever April wanted to come clean to her.


	6. He Got Game

It was just mere hours before Leonardo and Venus were to venture off to the kunoichi's sister's homeland. Donatello had found them a flight that would venture over their small village on their way to another destination. The two had been prepping for a week, eagerly waiting for their plane to arrive to the closest New York airport. The family had been nothing but supportive as they helped them pack up and wish them luck on their trip as well as Leonardo's schooling. In the lair, the two turtles, along with their family were giving their bags a final look-over, making sure that they weren't to forget anything granted they may be gone for a while. At this instance, Leonardo had realized that he'd wish to walk around the lair before leaving. Of course, they had just moved in for almost a month or two, but even he knew homesickness would settle in eventually. He'd be trading in the noisy ruckus and arguing his brothers brought for the peaceful countryside of rural China.

The eldest turtle meandered around their upgraded home. Over the years, he had learned the sewer system like the back of his hand. Now, he had to grow accustomed to the new venue after moving miles away from the sewer system they grew to know. The walls lacked the colorful graffiti that made their lair so distinctive (aside from being an underground ninja turtle dojo), but he knew that when he came back that the walls would be vibrant. Further and further down the sewer, the turtle found himself in the "Hall of Hatches". They were hatches that either lead to other halls or to dead ends. The family discovered it as they explored their new surroundings. In hopes that they may find use of these enclosures, the family had cleaned them up of debris. As Leonardo got lost in thought as he imagined what they supposedly use the hatches, an orange clad turtle popped his head from the wall. He did it so sharply and quickly that the tails of his mask flung out violently from behind his head. Leonardo abruptly stopped in his tracks. His eyes flickered in response to the possibility of being ht by the seemingly flying creature.

"Leo, could you come in here for a moment?" Michelangelo's expression was stern yet comical. The forced frown on his face caused wrinkles to form on the corners of his mouth. Along with it was a slow wavering finger that beckoned his older brother towards him. Leonardo sighed and shook his head at his younger brother. As goofy as he was, Leonardo gave in as he took a few steps towards him.

"What's up?" He asked. Before his question could be answered, Mikey swaddled him in his arms and threw Leo into the room he was in. "Ey, whoa!" Leonardo shouted as he caught himself from falling to the ground when Mikey threw him in. The younger turtle ignored his protests as he hastily grabbed the hatch and slammed it shut. With each heavy and overly-done breath, Mikey turned on the single light bulb that lit up the small room and locked the hatch door. When the door was locked, Mikey turned his head slowly with his body kept pressed up against the locked hatch.

"This way we're alone." He spoke low and dark.

"Alone for what?" Leo asked. Instead of answering Michelangelo decided it was a good time to roll up on his big brother and place a big finger on his lips.

"Shhhhh…" He forced out, creepily allowing his finger to brush his brother's lips. With each stroke, it parted the bottom from the top lip, giving Leo a slight taste of his brother's fingers. When he did, Leonardo slapped his brother's hand down irritably. "Where's Venus and Mona at?"

"Packing Venus' bags." The elder turtle replied confused. Michelangelo nodded and walked in a quick circle, thinking to himself. "Mike, what's going on?"

"I'll be askin' the questions here!" He exploded in his brother's face. His finger, although not touching him, was pointing at Leonardo very closely. "You can ask them… uh… some other time. Now, do you think you got what's going on?" His fingers matched up with one another as he brought his hands together. His brows rose as he waited for his brother's answer. Leonardo continued to stare at Michelangelo blankly with his chin brought down to his neck and his neck carrying his head up high.

"Leo's confused; tell him what you talkin' about ding dong." A deeper voice shook the soul of the blue clad turtle. Following his hearing, Leonardo turned to the right. As small as the room was, the dim light was able to mask the mass that was Raphael who sat low in a bean bag chair in the shadows.

"Whoa, didn't even see you there Raph." Leo admitted his hand on his chest as he tried to regain his composure.

"How?" Mikey questioned honestly. The eldest brother exchanged looks to both brothers before asking again.

"What are you guys doing?"

"Nothin', nothin'." Mikey's voice was surprisingly light after the series of shushing and speaking in low tones. He was rocking back and fourth on his toes with his hands behind his back. "Just getting you ready for your big trip across seas."

"Oh, well, you missed your chance for packing."

"Not that. Imma help you with something that you can pack," He leaned onto Leonardo's chest; his finger tapping the side of his brother's head. "In your mind." Since he was growing impatient with Michelangelo's constant closeness and after catching a whiff of his morning breath, Leonardo took his brother by the hands and set them at his side as well as forcing him off of him.

"Um, Airistole?"

"No need to call me names, Hose brain! I'm trying to help you!" He exasperated with great intensity. Raphael shook his head in the darkness as he watched his brother struggle to understand one another. In a few seconds, Mikey gained his composure for the sake of helping his clueless leader. The calm had returned to his voice as he continued. "Now, it has come to my attention that you and Venus will be traveling together to China. You, you and the Venus. Venus and You, Leonardo. Leonardo and Venus, together. Alone, together. Going to China… alone, together…" The young turtle tried to imply something within his last sentence by prolonging the words and emphasizing them by saying each first word with power. Leonardo tried to follow along, but even after 16 years has he ever clearly understood his orange clad brother. Yet, with some analysis, he was able to get a whiff of his intentions.

"What are you getting at?" Leonardo quizzed, lifting up a brow at the smiling turtle in front of him.

"All those days of lonely time together is the perfect time to be making moves on her."

"Making moves? Makin' what? Who?" The eldest stuttered as his arms spazzed out by his sides. It felt as if Leonardo's face contorted in impossible ways; unable to comprehend why his younger brother would get such an idea. Knowing that he caught him, Mikey put an arm around his spazztastic brother and intended to ease his mind with soft words.

"Bro, it's okay. Raph and I already know you got the hots for the turtle girl." Leonardo stared at Michelangelo in utter fear. From day one he always thought that he had liked Venus in that way. It didn't take long until he spilled the beans to Raphael. Leo looked over to Raph in the shadows. The lying turtle gave him a two fingered salute, ensuring that he knew the little secret between them. "Pretty sure we all do, but since hot babes will always go for me and nobody wants Raph, might as well let you have her."

"You sure that's not the other way around Mikey? I don't know how many chicks wanna kiss somebody with mutant turtle pizza lips." Raphael retaliated.

"As if they wanna kiss Jar Jar Binks sippin'on that juice!" Mikey screamed back. Fed up with the situation altogether, Raphael's fuse lit up as he struggled to get up from the sunken in beanbag. As he saw him attempt to lift himself up, scared Michelangelo was quick to hide behind Leonardo who would most likely break up the fight anyways.

"Where's Donnie when you need him?" The eldest whined to the ceiling. Unable to get up before his anger steamed out, Raphael gave up and settled back down into the cheap bag. Mikey continued to hide behind Leonardo, constantly making sure Raphael stayed where he was.

"We kept that bro out of this conversation."

"Why?"

"One, he probably don't know about ya'll and he's like Venus' BFF. He's bound to slip up about you. And two, do you really want Donatello to give you girl advice?" The finger counting turtle gave his oldest brother a "brrr DUH!" face that he did not appreciate. Leonardo folded his arms over the other, letting them sit on his chest.

"And, **why** am I taking girl advice from someone raised around all guys and hasn't dated a girl… ever?" Leo used a very dopey tone to emphasize _ever_. Mikey waved it off.

"I be readin' them magazines. Girls are hecka interesting. They actually care about how they look twenty four seven, practice daily hygiene. Dude, their lipstick tells them what kind' of person they are." He stated matter-of-factly. In the corner, Raphael was having trouble putting two and two together.

"What the-?"

"Yep, flat top, slope, rounded. They are weird. Along with them magazines, they talk about dating advice and what girls are looking for in guys. If anyone could help you out, then that's me." He validated. Leonardo thought for a while, and then shook his head while staring at the floor.

"I'm not getting out of this, am I?" He mumbled under his breath. Michelangelo grabbed him by his shoulders and directed him backwards. Once Leo's feet hit the edge of second bean bag chair, Mikey directed the leader down. The chair quickly went into form with Leonardo's interesting body type as he sank back with Raphael beside him.

"Sit down, this'll take a while." Both Raphael and Leonardo sighed loudly before Michelangelo could carry on pacing like a teacher.

"Young love is like a pizza. You want it so bad, but it needs to be prepared, and it takes time. Finally, when it's ready, its gotta be delivered, but that takes a little more time and the thirty minutes or less rule does not apply because it needs to be perfected. So, it can take a while before you take a slice and bite it." Suddenly he stopped and turned to his class. "You catch my drift?"

He was met by blank and incredulous faces.

"Savage." They both heard Raphael mumble in the silence.

"Mike, I don't live in the wonderful world of Dr. Seuss, just give it to me straight." The teacher frowned and looked discouraged by the fact that his students could not connect with his analogy. Instead of repeating, Mikey took Leonardo's request and shouted in "caveman" terms.

"When you there alone with her, don't rush it!" Every comma represented a pause with every sharp clause. "When you rush, you scare! And when you scare, you done messed up!" This time, he was met with a better response with a single nod. It was an unreliable nod, but he took it anyways as a job well done.

Next in his plan to help his brother learn to deal with the female species on another level, he went on to his favorite and most elaborate part of his teachings: The moves.

"Ya'll gonna be on a plane, right? And the takeoff is supposed to either be the fun or scary part. Say, Venus hates that part. That's when you use the classic rollercoaster move." With great enthusiasm, Mikey impatiently tried to think of a way to demonstrate this with an example Leonardo could go off of. He flung himself onto a third bag next to Raphael. The young one crawled up to the biggest brother. Growing uncomfortable by his thrashing actions and oncoming closeness, Raphael shimmied himself up in which his shell leaned against the wall of the room. "Raph, pretend you a girl on a rollercoaster." Mikey asked.

"I ain't pretending I'm a girl on a rollercoaster." The red clad turtle folded his arms and looked in the other direction. "Why don't you pretend you a girl on a rollercoaster, by yo'self?" he added sassily. Leonardo laughed at the thought of Mikey being a lonely girl on a rollercoaster. Despite the comical potential, the teacher remained indifferent.

"You gonna help Leo or not?" He asked with attitude.

"You gonna stop being a bonehead or not?" Raphael continued with more sass. The two locked into an indifferent and attitude blinking contest. When he grew tired of trying to fight it further and just get over with it, Raphael sighed and gave in. Mikey nodded and smiled as he cozied up to the large turtle beside him.

"Check it. If she's scared, talk nice and soft to her. The sound of your voice will comfort her. Then, and only then, will you casually put an arm around her." To demonstrate the obviously easy move, Michelangelo let his arm hang around Raphael's shoulders. When he saw Mikey's light green fingers on the other side of his face, he growled a little internally and then leaned into him and rested his head on his little brother's shoulder. Mikey was very surprised by his cooperation and continued with his lesson. "If she lets you, you got her. Bonus points for the hiding in your arms. That means she sees you as not only her comforter but her protector." Instantly, Raphael lifted his head from his brother's shoulders and shook off his arm from around him.

"These are fricken clichés, Leo, don't do that." He advised, even though he too had not as much information of the opposite sex as the one teaching them these things.

"Who's the girl expert? Hm, Lebrawny?" Mikey sat up higher in his chair. He kept his nose up, pointing it to the ceiling as a higher individual. "Not you." A bright green finger pointed at the brawny turtle. Raphael could do nothing but pass off his brother's stupidity and hope Leonardo does best as he gave up his fight of better judgment. "What else could happen…?" Michelangelo dwindled on the thought as he tried to conjure up a scenario that he could help with.

"I'm probably gonna meet her family or whatever." Leonardo offered. Mikey lit up with a snap. He only had seconds before he was prepped to teach another lesson.

"A'ight, when you do, be hecka nice to 'em. Even if they act like Raph with a stick up they butts, you be as polite and kind to them as possible. If you're cool with them, Venus will see how well you get along with her friends and family and possibly" His hands took the form of writing with a pen on paper, "consider bumping you up on her list of relationships, yes?" He nodded. Leonardo's eyes took to the ceiling in thought.

"Didn't think of that."

"'Course you didn't. I'm an expert." The expert felt untouchable that his advice had been officially accepted y his brothers. It was a rare occasion that they would take his thoughts and opinions into serious consideration. It was one of those times where he was able to prove he wasn't a complete bonehead and could actually make a difference that counted in their lives. The thought of it made him even more proud of his obsessive reading habits on women.

"Got any more tips?" Leonardo asked, hoping there was more he could use.

"Stay Fresh. Look fresh, smell fresh. Don't be funky. Let her borrow things from you. Venus is gonna give it back to you. Listen to everything she tells you. If you about to fall asleep, do all you can to wake that shell up! Oh, and get her something pretty while you're there and you'll be good to go on this trip. You got a shell cell and can hit me up whenever if you in a funk. I'll freshen you up." He assured him. Leonardo let every word sink in, making sure they remained in his memory banks.

"Thanks bro." Leo extended a hand out, in which it was met by his younger brother's. Their palms slid down the other's until the tips of their fingers caught onto one another's and locked into a firm squeeze. Since the lesson was over, it became priority that Leonardo be released to do whatever else before they leave for the airport. Getting out of the bean bag chairs had always been a challenge, but the three brothers managed to climb out of their Styrofoam grip and rise off the floor. Mikey unlocked the latch and freed his captives willingly as he left the room before them to go see Venus. Raphael decided to stay with Leonardo in his last hours at home by walking around the sewers with him until he left.

"You're really gonna take Mikey's advice?" Despite his more enthusiastic demeanor previously, Leonardo nodded painfully with his eyes squeezed shut. Raphael looked behind him to make sure Mikey wasn't in close range. He saw the goofball far down enough the hallway to continue without whispering. "Desperate, aren't we?" Leonardo turned around to look at his brother's face. His blue eyes were pained with regret.

"Can't you tell?" His voice sounded desperate with some attitude. Raphael chuckled not from Leonardo's sadness, but for the situation they were all in. The red-clad turtle let his fist tap Leonardo's as they continued down the sewer aisle.


	7. Girl on a RollerCoaster

It felt like the longest drive they ever took. Piled up in the Battleshell, the six teenage mutants were seated in close quarters as Donatello drove them all to the airport. In the middle of the car lay the two enlarged backpacks made for the traveling terrapins. They were filled with snacks, extra clothing if needed, and other necessities any mutant turtle needed if they were away from home. Sharing a seat, the two turtles of blue were wrapped in clothing to cover themselves if they were to be seen by human eyes. It had been a long time since they have seen Venus wear her light blue Yin Yang robe with her straw hat over her head. Last time they saw her with it on, the blood rushed to their heads after she hung them upside down. Leonardo had taken a different brown overcoat that they possessed, yet he took the matching brimmed hat. Both, with little space to stay seated and hands in their lap, listened to the quieted Erykah Badu radio playing from the aux cord from Raphael's phone.

The van took a wide turn, awakening the passengers who were in their own world as they thought about the upcoming departure. They weren't the only ones there, but for precautions, Donnie drove out to the farthest and emptiest spots available in the airport parking lot. No one was parked in the darkness as Donatello brought the vehicle to a stop and turned off the headlights.

"Here's your stop." He turned his body around to see them. His right arm helped to force him to the side as it pushed against the seat Raphael was in. "The manhole's right by the door." Venus and Leonardo looked up from their laps. Although the dim, green-tinted light made it hard to see it, they could make out the bright yellow lights and flashing red ones that assured them that they were at the airport. Leonardo crossed a hand over to unbuckle them from their seat and grabbed both of their bags from their feet. Venus, hunched over, opened the van door. Surely, the manhole was right in front of it as Donatello predicted. Before she could reach down and lift the cover, she got the urge to come back into the van. Once she stepped in, she was met by Michelangelo's loving arms. He had unbuckled himself out of his seat to send a farewell worth giving as he held her tight and rocked her back and forth lovingly, mumbling into her shoulder.

"I'mma miss you." He spoke almost choked up. Venus felt a little guilty for not being as emotional as he was, but she felt a discrepancy in that assumption. "When you're gone, when you're goooone, I'm gonna miss you when you're go-Oooooone!" There it was. The turtle girl trusted her emotion sense when it caught onto Michelangelo's over-the-top drama performance. Despite the utter sadness behind his little number, the cerulean clad turtle giggled and squeezed her brother harder.

"Watch my baby sister, okay?" Leonardo's neck was met by Mona Lisa's arms as she asked.

"Don't want to come home and die three minutes later." The leader smirked. Although he was joking, he knew the in evident would happen if he didn't. Seeing the understanding in his eyes, the lizard lady smiled. Her finger tapped the terrapin in blue lightly on the nose in a cutesy fashion.

"Good boy." She praised him. Leonardo chuckled and turned to his brothers, which shook the car slightly.

"Catch ya later bro." Raphael extended a hand out to him as he too turned around from the front seat. Leonardo took it as he let his big hand slide against his brother's until their fingertips met. They finished their little handshake with a firm hold. Donnie, too, extended a hand but in the form of a fist. Leonardo recognized and bumped hands with him.

"See ya guys." Leo nodded, wielding the two giant bags over his shoulder. In two steps, he was able to squeeze past Mona and Venus, who were saying their own goodbyes.

"Stay fresh, ya know." Mikey shouted out to him, following with a sly wink. The leader looked to see if anyone else noticed, but they were too enthralled with Venus who was still inside. Leo gave him a thumbs up.

"Got it." He replied with a wink. Mikey jerked his head and smiled until Leo took his gaze off of him. The bags slipped off his shoulder some as the large turtle bent over and inserted his fingers into the holes of the manhole cover. He was careful not to let his fingers slip too much because they could get stuck just like a few times before.

"Remember, we got phones. Hit us up." His youngest brother added. Leo let out a small huff as he picked up the cover and set it off to the side.

"Will do."

Meanwhile, Mona had her little sister straddled around her as she held her tight and spoke softly to her. She may be letting Venus do something on her own for the first time, but it wasn't as hard as it seemed days ago. Mona could have sworn that Venus' shell gave into her embrace, never wanting to let her go.

"See ya sis. Watch yourself and Leo, okay?"

"Got it, mom." Mona pulled her sister away to see her face. The young turtle giggled behind her mask. Mona Lisa smiled then rolled her eyes.

"Get out of the car." She pushed her giggling sister playfully out of the van, but not before the kunoichi could plant a quick goodbye kiss on her sister's cheek. Her dull-clawed fingers graced over where her lips had touched as if it would remain there if she did. Before going down the hole, Venus had to say her goodbyes to the rest of her family. Raphael had rolled down the window to let her arms reach out to him. Her top half was limited due to the rim of her shell pushing against the frame of the small window. Raphael did his best to meet her part of the way.

"Later, Venus." She gave a grunt coming out from the window due to the pressure caused by the door. Then, she did a quick prance in front of the car to get to Donatello. The tall turtle rolled his window down hurriedly to allow the eager female turtle squeeze his as hard as she could in the hunched over position she was in. To be funny, he overcame her strength in the hug, causing her release almost immediately to stop the impending pressure. Donnie laughed a little with her as she tried to catch the breath that escaped from her lungs.

"Promise you'll pick up your phone?" She asked asthmatically, allowing enough of her strength to withdraw a pinkie from her hand and offer it to him. Donnie couldn't help but chuckle at her light wheezing that he caused. He shook his head side to side, trying to stifle his laughter enough to latch his smallest finger to hers.

"Promise."

"I'm going to miss you guys and I need just one of you to pick up the phone at any time."

"Guarantee 24/7." With one hand on the wheel and his shell pressed as far back in the seat as possible, he saluted her. Venus smiled skeptically.

"But, what if you're sleeping?"

"When am I ever asleep anyways?" He tried to pass it off as a joke, but both he and Venus knew that it was an absolutely true statement. When Donatello had made a breakthrough or is on a roll with a project, there was no stopping him.

"True." The light blue clad turtle's mile turned from skeptical to genuine. Her steps took her to the front of the hood of the car. As she headed to the manhole where Leonardo was waiting for her with her bags, she added. "I'mma miss you bestie." Donatello nodded and pointed back at her, even though she could barely see him in the dim lighting.

"Right back at ya, bestie."

When she got to the manhole, Venus hunkered down and grabbed her bag after Leonardo set it on the ground earlier. The young gentleman made sure she had good footing as he allowed her to go first. Even though he couldn't possibly see him, Leonardo had a feeling that if he did, Mikey would be giving him suggestive looks and appreciative hand gestures regarding his treatment towards his travel buddy. His younger brother was really getting him on the brains. With the thought, he felt warm within himself regarding that he was truly going to miss his brethren. The warm thought settled within himself as the large turtle signed off to those still in the Battleshell and escaped down the manhole.

The sewer was far much darker than it was outside when the manhole cover was returned back into its place. Attached to the side of her hip, Venus felt around for her shell cell. In her grasp, she felt around for the light button on the side of it. It took her a couple tries until she managed to light up the space around her. The sudden white light burned her eyes, causing her to squint and shield it away with her arm. The bright light attracted Leonardo to look down below. From his angle, the light wasn't too far down and the edge of the ceiling of the tunnel meant that Venus was off to the side. Knowing this, he lightly wrapping his hands around the round sides of the metal ladder and slid down it in a timely fashion. A light splash of water dotted his legs when his feet made contact with the ground. He looked up at the light. Venus was removing her arm as her eyes began to make adjustments for its brightness.

"Come on," she turned towards the never-ending tunnel. "The outlet is out there." She pointed down into the darkness before them. Leonardo looked down the long hallway. With each step, the sounds of the airplanes and people scurrying around excited his stomach. Venus did not seem the least bit excitable as he was. Now that he thought about it, she's been acting like a strong authority figure since she had gone down the manhole that brought them here.

They were now in a spot where the manhole covers were exposed because of the lights that shone through their circles. Leo and Venus looked up every chance there was an outside source of light. Venus was careful to remove her finger off of the button so its own light wouldn't escape to the surface. She enjoyed these few breaks as the button created an imprinted circle on her thumb. The footsteps and conversations began to saunter away as the revving of motors clouded them. The hall continued on, that is until the female leading the way turned slightly to a metal ladder on the side on the wall. Her male follower's step stuttered in response to her abrupt turn. Before she turned off the light, Venus looked down to face him. She was already a couple steps up the ladder before placing a finger to her lips. Leonardo nodded, acknowledging that now they had to be extra quiet and stealthy. Venus nodded back and turned the light off of her phone, recreating the utter darkness. They stayed so good at keeping silent that they could hear only the air whistling around and water dropping from the rusty pipes. Suddenly, the top of Venus' hat tapped onto the surface. She took a couple steps down from the ladder to keep her hat from falling off when she looked up to push the cover off. Her foot pushed back on Leonardo's face, who responded in taking a couple steps down himself. Knowing that she had done it as an accident, he did not need to acknowledge an apology due to their silent situation. Steadily, she pushed the heavy piece up. With two hands, she let it glide against the blacktop, pushing it away from the hole. Venus let her hat as a cover over the surface as her eyes looked out onto the terrain. The red lights of the plane flashed from a good thirty feet away. The back of the plane was being loaded with large shipments and luggage that couldn't fit as a carry-on. The female terrapin estimated how many people would stop by the back at a time. There were not that many people loading up and it appeared that they were getting the last of it on board.

Then, the people began to clear from the back of it. She saw one man give a thumbs up to someone operating a forklift until he jogged away. Venus lightly tapped Leonardo's hang with her foot. With that, she jumped up out of the hole like a rabbit. Leonardo wasn't too far behind her as he jumped out and hit the blacktop. His shoe pushed the cover back into place. No one could even suspect that anyone had been there. Not even two giant turtles that made a break for the back of the plane.

Inside, the cargo hold was crammed with numerous items. Colorful or not luggage bags piled onto one another on one side with giant, boxed up items on the other. The two stowaways climbed to the middle of the hold, taking refuge in the mess of the shipping boxes. In no time, they could see the door to the hold begin to close with them inside. Venus sighed when she heard the door click and the hydraulics silence themselves. They had made it onto the plane. Leonardo continued to feel a little nauseous. The suspense of the plane taking off made him feel a little queasy. The blue clad turtle put a hand to his forehead as his breaths became less and less productive. He didn't know what he was sweating so much about as he began to grow mysteriously lightheaded. Venus removed her hat and put it between her fingers. With her other hand, she pushed him against a sturdy box and helped him slide down to where he could sit on the ground. With her by his side, he began to feel relieved as he felt the light tufts of air against his face as she fanned him with her hat. Wanting to feel more of the breeze and less trapped; he hastily removed his hat and unwrapped his coat. The exposure to his upper legs and chest felt much better as he could feel the movement underneath him. Venus could feel it too as the plane began its journey.

Pressure from the atmosphere began to push the two down into the floor of the plane. The aircraft was removing its wheels from the ground and were tucking them in its own compartment. For Venus, the moment worried her. Beside her, her brother was ill-feeling and light headed. The addition of taking off was going to probably do him worse than good. Fearing that his fear of leaving home and leaving behind everything he knew, his female guide could only feel sorry for him. Careful not to slip, Venus crouched down beside him. Her arm reached behind his head and guided it down to her shoulder. In short, smooth strokes, she tried to soothe him and regulate his breathing. Knowing him, she might make him feel less in control if she tried to confront him about his fears and condition. Instead, she acted as if nothing was really wrong. Leonardo, still short in breath was amazed by her silent acts of kindness. His blue eyes, without moving his head, looked up to see her face. She looked tired and worried, yet content with herself as she stared at the chrome wall. He gently closed his eyelids and began the process of calming down and finding his happy place. Aside from his little attack on his lungs, he was able to recall one of Mikey's lessons.

 _"Use the classic Rollercoaster move."_ played in his mind as well as the image of Raphael refusing to be the girl. Mikey had told him to wrap his arm around her if she was scared of the plane taking off. Bonus points if she hides in his chest. Then, he processed the situation at hand. He was the one freaking out, or in. It was her arm around him. She was acting as his protector and comforter, and honestly, he didn't care. Maybe the gender roles could be switched around from Michelangelo's advice. It might just as well if Venus was the comforter. She was doing just a dandy job and it didn't hurt his masculinity at all to be fearful in her arms. Just the thought of it made him smile like an idiot. Caught up in the moment, he lightly nuzzled his face in her shoulder and let out a deep breath to tell her that he was starting to feel better. He could feel her looking down at him with his eyes shut. She answered back to him appreciatively with a light push to draw him closer to her and a rub with her thumb in-between his head and his mask as the plane began to level itself out and make a straight line drive to China.

"Alright, listen up. It takes about 13 hours to fly to China from here. Mona stood up all night the last time we flew, but I think we should put a timer on our phones set to two hours before our mark."

"I'll set mine up."

"I'll set mine too, just in case we miss yours. I should set it to an hour before?"

"Good thinking." "Man, hear that engine roar. How could you sleep like this?"

"Here, lean up beside me. When you lean on the wall, you get the most vibrations. If you lean on me, our bodies absorb the shock better."

"What a difference." "Doesn't get rid of the sound though."

"Let me tell you a story. Guaranteed the sound of my voice will drown out the plane."

"Pretty sure Donnie's techno-babble puts me to sleep every time. Can you mimic him?"

"You should try to learn from him. He is one of the most intelligent beings I have met, and I've been surrounded by wise Chinese men all my life."

"Is that why you're always in the lab with him?"

"Not always. I enjoy your brother's company. Besides, I think I've been saving you all from the bulk of his 'techno-babble'."

"All is fair. What's in store for story time?"

"I remember this one spring. It was the spring Mona began puberty."

"Should I be hearing this?"

"Trust me, you're gonna laugh. So, when she was going through changes and whatever, Chung I didn't realize that her body would begin sending pheromones. Now, as a human being, neither he nor anyone else could smell it. I was 11 at the time and I smelled it, but I thought nothing of it. I thought Mona just needed a bath or something, because it was almost foul to me, but now I've gotten used to it. So, this first spring when she was beginning to smell like that for part of the season, I kid you not, there were Giant Chinese Salamanders emerging from the water and pursuing her nonstop."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Due to the misconception that the Giant Chinese Salamander is nearly extinct due to poaching, a majority of their population lives in the untouched waters of our own and other surrounding villages. So, just about every Giant Salamander in China was following Mona around. One even got into the house when she woke up and found it cuddling next to her. They were so slow, it was hilarious!"

"I could only imagine. Did that ever happen to you?"

"Most definitely, but Mona had it easy. When those turtles get frisky there's no stopping them. I am living proof that our small scaled cousins are not as slow as they appear."

"You could say that again."

"How about you? Got any wacky stories to tell?"

"Gee, where do I start?"

"The beginning is a good start."

"When we were about…" "7, I think, Mikey discovered the worst thing he could have ever learned."

"What was it? Was it dangerous?"

"Not at all, or, at least not in the right hands."

"Well, what is it?"

"He learned about…" "The water balloon."

"Oh, please Leo."  
"You were getting chased by turtles. That's way lamer than water balloons."

"Ok. So, what was so bad?"

"He took every chance he got to hit us with those suckers for an entire summer. Let me tell you, that boy's got an arm."

"A water balloon throwing arm?"

"Oh yeah. That's how Mike's got shirukin game."

"Wow."

"Yeah."


	8. AirPlanes in the Night Sky

After a couple minutes of the plane flying straight, Leonardo began to calm down to function. The two terrapins made their own space by pushing the wooden boxes away from the wall, creating a type of corral that would hide them if there were to be anyone coming in or out of the hold. Their area was small, but just big enough for the two to lean on either side with enough room to stretch out their feet. Both of their bags were tossed to the side on top of another box to create additional space for them.

"Alright, listen up. It takes about 13 hours to fly to China from here." Venus stood up from where she was sitting. Her hat was now sitting on top of the backpack she was heading to after Leonardo learned to breathe again. She moved it aside and reached for her phone in the mesh pocket at the side of her pack. "Mona stood up all night the last time we flew, but I think we should put a timer on our phones set to two hours before our mark."

"I'll set mine up." Leonardo insisted. Venus' hands veered over to Leonardo's bag. Also in his mesh pocket was his cell phone with specifically dark blue cracks filling the tortoise shell design. Venus turned and lightly rocked her arm with his phone in her hand. Leo made sure he kept his hands ready when she nicely tossed it to him. The phone landed safely in his palms and then set up for the timer.

"I'll set mine too, just in case we miss yours. I should set it to an hour before?"

"Good thinking." Venus' face lit up behind the blue light of her phone as she too set up a timer for them. Once it was done, Leonardo began to grow weary again. This time, it wasn't an attack on his lungs, but an attack on his eyes. They desperately wanted to close. As they wished, he rolled back against the chrome wall and closed them briefly. "Man, hear that engine roar. How could you sleep like this?" He asked. Venus was still standing by the bags, putting away her own phone. She looked back and saw the sleepy turtle behind her. She turned back to the bags and picked them up.

"Here." She threw his bag at him. He had a late reaction when the heavy thing landed in his lap. His hands were able to cover his stomach in case his stuff wanted to hit his insides. Venus laughed and lowered to the ground, pushing her bag in front of her. The top of her body slid with her bag by her face, sliding closer to Leonardo. With enough space, her body was fully sprawled out as the female turtle lie on her plastron. "When you lean on the wall, you get the most vibrations. If you sleep on your stomach, it will absorb the shock better. Use the bag as a pillow to muffle out the noise." She advised. Hesitant as first, the large turtle shifted his weight around. He copied Venus' example and began to slide towards her. This way, his legs also had space to stretch. His bag slid until it hit Venus', which meant the end of the line. Leo lowered his body down. Venus smiled as she saw him sink his head into his bag, which he was highly appreciative about. Right when he lowered his head, he could no longer feel the rough vibrations that shook his body as his torso relaxed. The roaring engine transformed into a mumbling muffle.

"What a difference." He commented. "Doesn't get rid of the sound though."

"Let me tell you a story. Guaranteed the sound of my voice will drown out the plane." Venus spoke softly in a motherly tone. The sound was soothing and much more preferred than the plane.

"Pretty sure Donnie's techno-babble puts me to sleep every time. Can you mimic him?" Leonardo chuckled. Venus smiled too, but she shook her head at him.

"You should try to learn from him. He is one of the most intelligent beings I have met, and I've been surrounded by wise Chinese men all my life." Leonardo lifted his head from his bag. His arms wrapped around it as he rested his chin on his makeshift pillow.

"Is that why you're always in the lab with him?" He asked. Venus' head rose. She had her arms cross in front of her face and rested her head on her arms. They were just so close to one another. It almost had a sleepover type of feel, that is if you had a cargo hold themed slumber party. The dim yellow lights did not stop the glitter in either one's uniquely colored eyes.

"Not always. I enjoy your brother's company. Besides, I think I've been saving you all from the bulk of his 'techno-babble'." She gave him a little half smile until burying her face in her bag to stifle her laugher. She wouldn't want to keep herself (or him) awake just because of her excitement. Leonardo laughed, but it was more of a low rumble in his throat, much better than Venus' possible high-pitched voice.

"What's in store for story time?" The turtle girl's head emerged from her pillow. Her listener's head shuffled deeper into his pillow, ready for her voice to lull him into sleep.

"I remember this one spring. It was the spring Mona began puberty."

"Should I be hearing this?" The blue clad terrapin clenched his bag, wondering what Mona would do to him if he knew about this story. I mean, the girl threatened to kill him if he didn't protect her sister. What would she do to him if he heard a story about her changing stage in life? Despite that haunting thought, did he really want to hear this kind of thing to put him to sleep?

"Trust me, you're gonna laugh." Venus assured him. Although he was skeptical of her story, he knew he had to believe her, no matter what. That was Girl rule # 2, right? "So, when she was going through changes and whatever, Chung I didn't realize that her body would begin sending pheromones. Now, as a human being, neither he nor anyone else could smell it. You guys just missed it before we met you."

"Thank you for waiting it out." He felt a little out of place for a comment like that. Yet, he honestly wouldn't know how he or his brothers would react to a fragrant sex signal. Would that animal instinct kick in or would they just detect it? Either way, he knew it couldn't be pretty. Now, it was something they'd have to wait out for next year. Great. Venus nodded and continued.

"I was 11 at the time and I smelled it, but I thought nothing of it. I thought Mona just needed a bath or something, because it was almost foul to me, but now I've gotten used to it. So, this first spring when she was beginning to smell like that for part of the season, I kid you not, there were Giant Chinese Salamanders emerging from the water and pursuing her nonstop."

"Really?" From the visions Venus had shown them a long time ago, he recalled that those salamanders were the same thing that bit Mona Lisa, giving her a lizard-like appearance. He could only imagine seeing those humungous, floppy, pudgy ugly looking creatures coming at her in scours. She must have been terrified.

"Yeah. Due to the misconception that the Giant Chinese Salamander is nearly extinct due to poaching, a majority of their population lives in the untouched waters of our own and other surrounding villages. So, just about every Giant Salamander in China was following Mona around. One even got into the house when she woke up and found it cuddling next to her. They were so slow, it was hilarious!" Her voice rose slightly, trying to stay careful from turning her bedtime story into an all-nighter.

"I could only imagine. Did that ever happen to you?" Venus nodded her head slightly embarrassed. He could tell by the slight pink hue in her freckled green cheeks.

"Most definitely, but Mona had it easy. When those turtles get frisky there's no stopping them. I am living proof that our small scaled cousins are not as slow as they appear." The cerulean clad turtle yawned. Her own story was beginning to take her into sleep land. Leonardo felt the same, but kept his yawn in.

"You could say that again." He agreed. Leo knew a thing or two about the misconception of all turtles being slow. Not just the type of turtle he was, but other ones both domesticated and wild. It's the tortoise you got to call slow, not turtles.

"How about you? Got any wacky stories to tell?" Venus asked, lowering her head into her bag in which her lips disappeared in it. Leonardo rolled his eyes.

"Gee, where do I start?"

"The beginning is a good start." She mumbled through her bag. The leader looked at her smugly, raising his brow. She continued to look at him happily, her smile was evident as her cheeks her squished up by it and the bag she rested on.

"When we were about…" He began, "7, I think, Mikey discovered the worst thing he could have ever learned." That sentence clearly woke Venus up. Her upper body was jerked up and supported by her elbows with her chin on her hands. Way to help her go to sleep, Leo.

"What was it? Was it dangerous?" She asked curiously. Leonardo shook his head.

"Not at all or, at least not in the right hands." He tried to keep the information from her, hoping she'd beg him for the rest of it, keeping her interested.

"Well, what is it?" Her hand playfully tapped his forearm in anticipation. Leo looked into her eyes. They were so eager that if he didn't tell her sooner than later, the turtle girl might explode.

"He learned about…" He paused for dramatic effect. Venus clenched onto her pillow. "The water balloon."

"Oh, please Leo." She breathed through the fabric. Leonardo's expression sharpened.  
"You were getting chased by turtles. That's way lamer than water balloons." He defended with a chortle. The female turtle's eyes look up from her skull. They remained there as she thought, then brought them back down.

"Ok. So, what was so bad?" She asked after seeing where he was coming from.

"He took every chance he got to hit us with those suckers for an entire summer. Let me tell you, that boy's got an arm."

"A water balloon throwing arm?" The view of her eyes began to saunter away as her eyelids came closer and closer towards one another. Only a small slit of her eyes could be seen. Leo could say the same for himself as he found sleep taking him away, slowly.

"Oh yeah. That's how Mike's got shirukin game." Mikey was always enthusiastic about throwing stars growing up. It was only a matter of time until he found the secrets to throwing stars and balloons alike on target constantly.

"Wow." She yawned dreamily.

"Yeah." His warm breath rolled with his wrist. "One time, he got Donnie while he was drawing with chalk. He spent twenty minutes drawing a maze that he was going to have us solve later. Mikey waited until he turned his back to it and hit him square on the shell. The water splashed on him and whatever bounced off his shell went onto the drawing. A good chunk of it was gone and Donnie was chasing him around with his Bo staff all morning. There was another time where he stole Raph's zebra bandana and had him set off on a wild goose chase. He had me trying to help find him. When Mikey got behind him, he whistled at him and chucked it back at him. What Raphael didn't know was that there was a water balloon inside it. Water was all over him. I was next to him and started laughing my shell off. I wasn't worried because I saw only one balloon in his hand and he used it on Raph. What I didn't know was that he had one stashed in his overalls. He waited until I had to hold my sides until landing a crotch shot on me. It seriously hurt but it's hilarious!" Leonardo chuckled into the bag. As his laughter began to lighten up, he realized Venus was not being responsive. In fact, she hadn't said anything at all.

He looked up and saw her. Her head continued to rest on her hands, but it was tilted to the side. His story had successfully helped her fall asleep. Her breathing was calm and her lips were parted slightly in case she'd need to breathe through her mouth. Leonardo decided to smile and began to calm himself down to fall asleep. He lay there on his stomach in a similar position as her. Leo began to think about the great times he had with his family. He hadn't realized how many things he saw that were annoying or almost traumatizing as a kid actually made pretty good memories for the four of them to enjoy and have a good laugh at. Small stories found their way into his memory yet pulled him slowly into unconsciousness.


	9. Catch Me When I Land

"Leo… Leo… Leonardo." The distant voice drew closer and closer into his ear until he opened up his tired eyelids. Immediately, the brightness of the once dark room shocked his retinas. Leonardo blinked to adjust his eyes to it, rubbing them as well. When he could begin seeing without too much light damaging his eyes, he saw where the voice came from. Venus was hunched over in her blue robe. Her hands were clenched together by her knees that made it look like her robe was swallowing them. On her face was a bright smile, obviously eager.

"Hm?" Only the slits of his eyes were visable in the light.

"We're here."

"Hm? Where?" His arms slipped from underneath his head. The palms of his hands pressed against the floor, placed underneath his chest so he could raise his torso off the ground. Surprisingly, there was no soreness from his sleeping position. Now that he thought about it, his backpack did a pretty darn good job as a pillow. It wasn't soft and fluffy, but it was solid and carried his head safely for hours. Venus stood up and placed her hands on her sides. She hopped up on top of one of the low standing boxes, landing in a crouched position.

"Well, not the village, but we're in China." She pointed to where the light was hiding behind the boxes, continuing to smile.

"China?" Curious, Leonardo began to rise and headed towards her. She grew delighted that he wanted to see and hopped off of the box before he could to lead to way. The female turtle played follow the leader with the tired male through boxes and thrown luggage around the floor. "Did the alarm go off yet?" He yawned lightly. Honestly, he had hoped he could get more sleep with his unsuspecting bedding.

"No…" He voice trailed off. Venus was obviously distracted. "I just thought you might want to see this in case it got dark when we land." They had been heading towards a natural light in spite of the artificial ones hanging overhead. Around every corner, he had thought the light would show its face, yet there was always another box behind it. Then, there was one final turn Venus made that got them to the other side of the plane. When he turned the corner, he saw the short stretch of wall that led to a door. On this door was a window to the outside. With a new found pep in her step, Venus trotted over excitedly. Leonardo stayed behind to see the light hit her bright face with the sun's warm rays. She turned to him, tapping her finger on the window. She had pounded it so hard he thought she might break the glass. Not to take that chance by keeping her waiting, Leonardo sauntered over by her side. His eyes had better adjusted as he walked around and but they were not prepared for the sight.

Down below lie symmetrical polygons of various shades of green and brown. The male turtle inhaled and kept his breath in, fascinated by the new view. Puffy white clouds floated so close to the aircraft that it felt like something he could only imagine. So many years had he lived underground in the dark. He lived the floors on the Earth, seeing the tiniest of details in rock and concrete. Now, he was as high above his world as he could. So many tiny details had been ignored and conjoined themselves together to create plain, smooth images from the aerial. He took his eyes off the breathtaking view briefly when Venus moved her head to face the sun that was hiding up in the corner of the window.

"It looks like early noon." She guessed by its position. "I hope I didn't wake you for nothing. I just thought you might think it's cool."

"No," he shook his head. "no, this is pretty awesome." His look of awe turned into a look of joy as he felt the sunshine warm his face as well as the relief look Venus showed. Of course she wanted him to see this if not, just herself to see this with someone else. It had been almost a year since she and her sister had tagged along in their clan. For months, they had lived the underground railroad of great light contrast and noise. Now, she could see the sweet freedoms of the countryside below her. Flashbacks of the scenery, the people, and the customs returned from her core memories. It must have been nice to feel and see the motion of going back home.

"It's time." Venus spoke with as much enthusiasm as Rafiki from the Lion King. After viewing China for a moment, the two went back to their resting places until the alarm rang an hour later. Neither actually benefited from the extra hour because they spent half of it trying to sleep after the affects of the bright lights they were exposed to. Leonardo and Venus had spent their hour of prep looking out the window. Venus looked out to spot when they were to land. Leonardo, otherwise, just took in the sights for it could be the rare experience he could never have again. When Venus gave the OK, he immediately realized what they were about to do. His eyes zeroed into the ground below him.

"Whew! Long ways down." He spoke airily. Just the thought of jumping into the sky took the saliva from his mouth. Then, a parachute pack was thrown at him. With his quick reflexes, he was able to catch it when it slipped own his legs. The blue clad turtle looked up. Venus already was slipping her arms into the straps of the backpack. Although nervous, he followed suit.

"Keep your eyes closed." She advised, flipping her braids from between the pack and her shell. Even at full extension, it was a tight fit yet it would serve purpose. Leonardo's pupils shrank as the pack slumped over his upper back.

"What?" He shrieked.

"Keep your eyes closed until you deploy your parachute."

"How am I going to see when to pull it if I can't see how far down it is?" Suddenly, his voice got higher and higher pitched as he spoke. The strain of his voice hurt his throat as the millions of horrible thoughts began to cloud his mind.

"If you keep your eyes open, the wind will dry them out. We don't have goggles so we'll have to close them." She reached down by her feet and picked up the strap that belonged to her backpack. Since the parachute was on her back, she attached her bag to the front of her body. Not only would it serve as a possible cushion if there was something to go unexpected, but the overlying strap on top of the parachute's will keep it on her back. Her follower mimicked. "Really secure the headset around you. I will say when to open them." She referred to the headset that was packed into each shell-cell. Donatello had designed it where the earphones and microphone of the phone was something similar to a Bluetooth that could be easily accessed when needed within the phone. Without protest, Leonardo nodded and began to fish for his phone at his side. Once in hand, he placed a fingernail within the crack of the phone in order to open it.

"How? You gonna dry your eyes out?" he asked honestly. Venus was putting the single ear muff over her ear holes and curved the microphone tight against her face.

"I will sense it." She looked up at Leonardo. He was getting his headset out and began the process of putting it on. His constant fumbling with the contraption showed the frustration and fearfulness that he was trying to hide. The female turtle frowned. She reached out her hand after he had curved the microphone. Her small hand placed itself on top of his'. The sudden touch made the male turtle's hand slightly bump his face. He turned to look at her. She looked into his eyes as she pulled his hand down slowly. "Do you trust me?" Her lime eyes pleaded. Leonardo's lips parted, allowing a slow breath out.

"Yeah."

"Then, open the door." She whispered. Leonardo looked away from her eyes to the lips from where she spoke. She smiled partially. Leo's gaze moved away from her face and removed his hand from hers and put it on the handle of the door.

Due to the wind that was forcing its way against it, the male turtle had to put all her had into it to make it open. A burst of wind hit the two, causing them to take multiple steps backwards. Even the luggage and big boxes behind them moved towards the other side of the aircraft as the wind forced its way through. They kept their eyes at a squint to repel any damage along with an arm over their foreheads as they took cautious steps towards the door.

Leonardo reached out for the frame of the door to stabilize himself from falling back into the plane. He reached a hand back to help Venus up to the exit of the plane. The icy wind began to numb their entire bodies despite the protection of their robes and packs surrounding them. The fear of jumping began to become a soft subject due to the fact he could no longer see the ground anymore. It would hurt to open his almost shut eyes anyways.

"Count of three, okay?" He heard her yell over the loud air. Leonardo nodded his head, and then realized that she probably didn't see him. Instead, she felt his hand clench tighter around hers in which she took as a silent act of permission. Her hand clenched tight around his as well. Just as she had, Leonardo knew that she had heard him.

"1…" Her counting was slow but loud enough to hear. The anticipation of it wrecked nervousness over the both of them, but they had to do it. They had to get off of this plane. "2… Both gripped the other's hand tighter. Leonardo had to clench his eyes shut to distract him from the impending fall they were to endure. Venus took a deep breath in, knowing after past experiences, everything in her lungs was about to come out. "3!" Their two toes gripped along the edge of the floor before letting go of each other and making a leap for the outside world.

Luckily, they jumped with enough power to not be disturbed by the plane's lasting movements. The two mutant turtles began to fall to the earth in hopes that only a parachute will save them in time. Even with eyes closed, the wind stung them, trying to forced them open, but to no avail. Venus, who was now seasoned in this art, kept her limps close to her body and gave into the air to help her body guide itself through it. She should have told him so but it had slipped her mind on how to tell Leonardo how to skydive. Instead, he kept himself collected and wanted to dive headfirst as he had seen in movies (it wasn't the first time he fell from the ground at extrordinary heights). He felt his body plummeting faster and faster to the earth. Leonardo almost felt like a superhero. Superman maybe, who'd dive from the sky to rescue a falling victim. Hey, the guy's already bulletproof. The feeling almost felt like he could do anything, like he was invincible. But, he wasn't. The giant turtle was moving fast to the Earth and now that his eyes are closed, he would have no idea when to deploy. That's when Venus comes in. As his level headed Lois Lane, she listened to the Earth. Their careless whispers flowed through her ear. No wind resistance could disrupt her concentration as the energies kept her posted on their positions. The magician had little contact with Leonardo's self, mostly only able to detect strong emotion, their guidance vaguely talked about him. Then, it was time. The female turtle reached up to her headset with one hand. Her numbed fingers fumbled around as she made sure she held the microphone and pressed it hard against her mouth.

"Deploy!" She spoke loud and clear. Leonardo got the message. It was small and distant, but little to none is enough for him to try to reach for that pulley. Eyes still closed, he reached around his neck for the rope. It took very few tries to determine what was part of the back pack and what was the parachute under the rope fell undeniably between his two fingers. Assured that he had it, he gave the piece a firm tug. That parachute was going to open on the first try. He heard the material behind him bellow against the wind. It reached up higher and higher until the ropes securing it to him wouldn't let it go any further. At its full extension, it violently jerked him upwards. Thankfully, no whiplash but a lesson well learned. The wind began to calm itself around his body until it felt like a normal gust of wind he'd experience on the ground. Things around him began to feel normal. Feeling as all was well, Leonardo picked up the courage to release his eyelids from their death grip. Slowly, his blue eyes were exposed o the new world around him. The view from above was amazing. Slowly, the orange square quickly became alive with detail as a yellow field of dried grass surrounded by a bamboo forest came closer and closer to him. It was amazing. At a certain height, he could see smoke from fires that kept villages moving and scattering animals hiding in the brush. Then, he looked up at the sky. He expected to only see the plane from which they jumped from passing away from the sun, but above him was a female turtle cascading down. The sound her laughter became evident as she guided herself from underneath him. The shadow of her face disappeared as she moved to the left of him.

"Yeah!" She screamed in excitement as if she were riding a fun rollercoaster. The leader began to smile as well.

"Shell yeah!" He shouted back at her, gaining much approval to his female companion. As much as Leonardo was beginning to let loose after nearly a day of stress she felt relieved and laughed into the air, letting her head look up into her parachute. Leonardo loved this. The feeling of jumping thousands of feet and now enjoy the smooth cruise along with her was more than he could ask for.

Closer and closer the ground came. From where they were now, they were for sure to land in the clearing as they were steering for. No need to ruin the perfect mood by a crash landing in a bamboo stalk.

"Start running!" Venus began peddling her feet, starting out quick then slowing down to calculate how fast she was actually doing. Leonardo made no sense of her suggestion, but she was the guide. He had to trust her, even if it felt idiotic to him to be a landing Flintstone. Quickly, he learned of what she had taught for the landing was rough. Once his feet touched the ground, it felt like needles. His body also felt delayed from landing although he was already on the ground. The turtle began running beside Venus, hoping the run would stop soon. Before he could wish for a stop, his run was cut short by a trip on a rogue first mound. The large mutant fell forward onto the ground. His parachute brushed over his body and whisked itself forward as it was still reacting to the wind. Venus stayed on her feet and began to slow down to a walk. When she was cleared, she ran back to her fallen friend. The girl giggled uncontrollably, removing her own pack before helping her friend. She started with the top of the chute and walked it back over Leonardo's shell. Hidden underneath it was the fallen turtle, his face kept in the ground with embarrassment. She threw the chute over him and stood over him. Leonardo felt her shadow and looked up. She kept her hands on her waist, rocked to one side smiling. It was a smile of pity like a parent would when her child had done something messy and they can't help but smile.

"Should have kept your feet up. You drag them when you run." She reached out her hand. Leo took it shyly as he rose from his knees. The forgein dirt fell from the cracks of his carpace as well as the skin exposed to it. Venus may have taken it lightheartedly, but Leonardo couldn't help that his perfect moment ended with his face in the dirt.

"We make our mark?" He asked shyly, wiping the excess dirt that marked his face. She knew that he was a little down and tried to help him remove the dark marks made on his cheekbones.

"Oh, yeah." She smiled as her thumb wiped away the last of the debris. Like a normal girl, she was determined to remove any blemish away from his face. Of course, Leonardo had only seen this on TV where anything or everything he knew about human life or the opposite sex could be completely false. Her thumb swiped every speck of dirt, piece of bark, or anything else he could have picked up on his face. As she was cleaning the last of his face, her finger hastily rubbed at a white mark. She quickly stopped, remembering that that certain streak has been on his face since she had met him. Satisfied that his face was clear, her finger retreated and her eyes looked to her surroundings. "We're in Chun's clearing." Just like that, she was able to remember her friend's who had played in Chun Kawan's backyard, which was really this vast piece of land. The endless, fenceless land she was able to roam freely in. The female turtle took in the familiar scents of China as memories rolled around her head. Adventures of she and Mona had also made their way into her memory bank as she relished the idea of finally being back home. "Come on." She finally spoke. Leonardo looked up at his guide, who was gently tugging him along in an unknown direction. "The village is ten minutes away."


	10. First Impressions

As promised, the village was not so far. Quickly, the path of the bamboo forest led them to another clearing. The rest of the environment transformed from bamboo to lush trees. From such an abrupt transition, Venus lit up to see her beautifully modest village. Their homes were large or small scaled made with dark brown to dark red wood. A select few buildings were made of non-wood product and were abundant in bright colors such as red, gold, and green. Cutting its way around the rural area was a calm stream festering with colorful fish coming out for air or little turtles basking in the sun. The stream looked shallow enough to cross, but there was a thin bridge just in case you did not want to get wet.

The female turtle lifted her straw hat off of her eyebrows to really take in the familiar sights it's brim was blocking. Leonardo saw it breathtaking, but didn't feel obligated enough to possibly reveal his face to meandering eyes. It felt weird being out in broad daylight where people could see him. How did Raphael do it?

"I'm home." She spoke dreamily. The sight of her village swelled her stomach with joy. Nothing new had developed. The homes did not change, down to the smallest detail. They were exactly how they were when she had left. A drop in mood hit her. "It never changed, but I did."

"Not really." Leonardo commented. Venus looked back at him, showing only the corner of her eye and faced back forward. That made him rethink whether or not that came off as rude.

"I left a traditional chinese girl." She looked over to her upper arm. The WNBA Liberty sweatband was obviously underneath her silky robe. "I don't know if they will understand me like they used to."

"That girl is still in there. So what you've been speaking English for a couple months. I've seen you and Mona slip into Chinese every now and then." He tried to encourage her. Venus only shook her head. Then, she quietly put her hat back on. She did not feel as ready to announce her arrival as she was earlier.

"But we'd do it in English dialect." Done with hearing her speak so down, Leonardo hooked an arm around her shoulders. In doing this, they both squished one another. Venus looked down at her turtley toes, unable to look up to him.

"This isn't about understanding each other. You're scared they won't approve of your new lifestyle." Venus continued to look down with her straw hat hiding her eyes, but he knew she was listening. "These people are your family, by blood or not. You grew up with them. If for some reason they don't like you, there's a whole other family waiting for you in New York." The brim of the female's hat barely scratched his face. She did not known it had, but Leonardo wasn't going to inform her. When those grateful eyes smiled back at him, he didn't have to say anything. Then, Venus squeezed him back with a rouge arm behind his shell.

"And I got family right here too. Come on." Her hand slipped from behind his shell and fell to her side. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hat up on top of her brow and strolled into her community with confidence.

No one was on the street from where they walked. Usually, the families may be tending to their gardens as the children were off to school with their peers. The houses looked so tiny compared to Leonardo after living a life of skyscrapers and apartments. The two large beings strolled, looking for something that the male turtle did not know of. Each house was either empty-looking or shut down with closed blinds. The only moving thing in this village was the stream, and even that wasn't full of excitement. Finally, someone had appeared. An older woman sat in a chair on a small wooden porch. In her lap was red and gold yarn meant for a craft in which she had not yet prepared. Venus stopped dead in her tracks when she saw her. Leonardo's steps fumbled as he tried to stop with her. He did not know what could have been going on. The woman, too, stopped and leaned forward to see better. Shyly, the female turtle reached for her hat and removed it from her head. The late sun shone on the fabric.

"Mei Pei Chi!" The woman yelled over to her. Suddenly, Venus sprinted over to the woman. It looked as if nothing was going to stop her and she may possibly run the fragile woman over. Leonardo was slightly concerned.

"Mu!" She shouted back cheerfully. Her green arms went as far as her wing span as she barreled over to hug the small woman. This was obviously a childhood friend. Leonardo kept his distance from where he stopped to watch the tear-jerking reunion. From her wrinkled face, the older woman was joyous to have the turtle girl in her arms. Although she didn't want to, Venus released her hold on the elder woman in exchange to smile in her face.

"Jīnxīng wǒ zuì xǐ'ài de wūguī. Wǒ, duōme měilì nǐ yǐjīng zhǎng dà, zài zhèyàng duǎn de shíjiān ne(Venus, my favorite turtle! My, how beautiful you have grown, and in such little time too)!" She sounded ecstatic in the face, but to Leonardo, the language sounded angry like Venus and Mona would sound when they fight. Clearly, this was a joyful moment. Maybe those girls weren't always fighting as he and his brothers thought. He stood back, continuing to watch.

"Mù, nǐ zǒng néng zhǎodào yīzhǒng fāngfǎ, ràng wǒ wéixiào ( Mu, you always found a way to make me smile)." Just as her word, the female terrapin smiled wide, letting her white teeth show between her lips.

"Zhè shì shénme(What is this)?" Venus held her breath as Mu's wrinkled fingers lightly curled around the black lining of her robe. Nonchalantly, her hand whisked the fabric to the side to get a better view of what she was wearing underneath her. Anticipating the movement of the robe, her turtle-beaded necklace dropped down her neck without the support of her robe holding it back. Mu studied it before going further. "Zhèxiē shì shénme… Zài nǐ de xiōngbù duōcǎi ānquán dài(What are these... colorful belts across your chest)?" Both questions made the turtle's heart drop. It was exactly what she had feared. The critical woman continued to stare, possibly trying to come up with words to describe how despicable her new wear was. Her thin brow began to rise high to her hairline.

"È…"

"Wǒ xǐhuān zhège. Zhè jiàn shìqíng bǐ wǒ jiànguò de nǚhái chuān zài zhèlǐ bùtóng (I like this. It's something different than what I have seen the girls wear around here)." The tension in Venus' face vanished immediately once she processed the content of Mu's comment. Her lime eyes looked into the small, brown ones of her friend. Mu nodded her head evenly. "Měiguó kàn qǐlái nǐ yǒu hǎochù (America looks beautiful on you)." The turtle girl smiled in such a way to tell Mu that she had realized she was getting riled up for nothing. Mu, in turn, smiled just so. Venus should have known that she would try to tug her sleeves every now and then. Girl should have been expecting it all the time by now. Mu was a nearsighted woman, but a blurry figure behind Venus' head shifted her focus on her friend.

"Shuí shì dà shítou zhàn zài nǐ shēnhòu (Who is the giant boulder standing behind you)?" She pointed over Venus. The female turtle looked over her shoulder. Leonardo kept his head down and hands in his coat pockets. "Tā kàn qǐlái hěn cūlüè. Tā kěnéng shì zhèxiē gùshì de yīngguó zhēntàn (He looks very sketchy. Could he be the British detective in those stories)?" Venus de Milo giggled a little to hear her compare him as such. She had to admit it though, now that she's said it, that brown trench coat and long brimmed hat did give him a likeness of Sherlock.

"Zhè shì cóng měiguó wǒ de péngyǒu (That is my friend from America). " She replied politely. After so many years, she knew Mu would get her feelings hurt if she was corrected the wrong way. It was one of her biggest pet peeves. Her ancient eyes reviewed him critically.

"Dàjiā shì zài měiguó nàme dà (Is everyone in America that big)?" She joked. Venus shook her head. Then, she opened herself up to look behind her.

"Leo!" The male turtle looked up. His spine seemed to spring after the sudden call of his name. Venus had her two fingers almost touching her palms twice. "Come here." Something dropped in his gut when he was called. Undeniably, Venus was ushering him over to meet the elderly woman. He wasn't sure how important this woman may have been to her, but he knew he needed to be polite and meet her. His gaze reverted from Venus to the woman behind her. He could tell her eyes were straining, trying to get a good picture of him. It was almost intimidating. This was a giant, muscled up ninja turtle who admitted that this small, chinese woman was sizing him up. A lump in his throat went down before he took steady steps towards the two women. Politely, he removed his hat. It made him uncomfortable to feel the exposure of the sun on his head, revealing himself to anybody. As he came closer and closer, the elderly woman leaned further back in his chair, her expression loosening from her scrunching nose to a look of awe.

"Ō, wǒ de, tā shì yīgè nǐ (Oh my, he's one of you)! " She exclaimed. If her mouth opened any wider, it might as well have stayed that way. Just seeing her surprised expression made Leonardo regret even more for removing his cap, but he was reassured with a warm smile and a guiding hand from his tour guide.

"Leo, this is Syun Mu. Mù, wǒ de péngyǒu Leonardo" Her introduction stayed short and sweet. Leonardo kneeled before the woman with the utmost respect. He wasn't sure how the greeted one another in China, but he did what he knew how. His knuckles pressed into the Earth as he let his head fall to his chest. When he lifted it up, he was not met by a soured face, but a smitten one at best. Guess the Japanese greeting was as good as gold.

As hard as it was to take her eyes off of the charming child's blue ones, Syun Mu turned to Venus.

"Hái yǒu gèng xǐhuān nǐ zài nàlǐ (there are more like you out there)? " She asked curiously. Leonardo, realizing he was not being spoken to, stood up. His towering figure shadowed over her body.

"Shì de, wǒ de shēnghuó yǔ qítā sì gè wǒmen dì nà zhǒng (Yes, I'm living with four others of our kind). " Venus nodded. Syun Mu grinned once more. Carefully, she placed her hands with Venus' in between. Her soft palms warmly secured such youthful, irregular hands. They were cold, but not so cold that the female terrapin wanted to warm them up. It was the welcoming chill of an elder that made her feel secure inside.

"Zhè shì měihǎo de, nǐ yǐjīng zhǎodào qítā rén, huílái kànwàng, bìng bǎ nǐ de nán péngyǒu huílái kàn wǒmen de cūnzhuāng (It is wonderful that you have found others, come back to visit, and bring your boyfriend back to see our village)." The hand placed beneath Venus' removed itself. Syun Mu looked to Leonardo. He was unsure what to do as she universally pointed to him with a sunny expression. He really wished he knew what they were saying, especially what they might be saying about him. It was starting to get uncomfortable. Venus, on the other hand, was not as sunshine-y as her friend. Her face scrunched up, easily removing her hand from the woman's.

"Leo?" The male turned to her, but learned that she was not speaking to him. "Ó, bù, tā zhǐshì yīgè péngyǒu(Oh no, he's just a friend)." She stated with a passively-friendly expression.

"Bié zhème lángbèi. Tā hěn shuàiqì. Zhìshǎo, (Don't be so embarrassed. He's very handsome. At least,)" She paused to look at him once more. She detected the features that could be attractive to a human female. Her mental checklist: muscular build, timid yet respectful, obviously proud, and colored eyes. Check! "Wǒ rènwéi, zài yīgè rén de yǎnjīng (I think in a human's eyes)."

"Wǒ bù gāngà- (I'm not embarrassed-)." Before she could explain anything, the woman cut her off.

"Nǐ bù yìng gāi duì wǒ làngfèi nǐ de fǎngwèn de shíhòu, nǐ yīnggāi wéirào zhǎnshì nǐ de nán péngyǒu (You shouldn't waste your visit on me when you should be showing your boyfriend around)." Instead of trying to explain herself and risk getting brushed off again, Venus took a deep breath. Then, her arm snaked around Leonardo's. He grew surprised, looking at her confusingly as her other arm placed itself over the top of his arm. Next, one of her hands found his way into his. Once her fingers found a space in between his knuckles, her hand squeezed his. What really took the cake for him was the gingerly, and amazingly naturally drop of the head onto his shoulder, which brought her close to him. He didn't know what Venus was intending to do, but Leonardo was not one to ruin such a once in a lifetime moment.

"Hǎo ba Mǔ. Wǒ bù huì ràng tā zài děng (Okay Mu. I won't keep him waiting any longer)." With that and Leonardo still in her grasp, she turned and walked past the woman. Venus waved back at the woman before continuing on her trek away from her.

"Zàijiàn méi péi zhī! Zàijiàn Leonardo (Goodbye Mei Pei Chi! Goodbye Leonardo)!" The elderly woman waved with much enthusiasm. Her wrinkled hand fell to her lap as she looked on to the young lovers, sighing internally to see her young Venus finally with someone.

As they continued to walk glued to one another, Leonardo looked over his shoulder. Mu had kept her eyes on them. Without warning, a nonchalant, green hand guided his head to the direction in which they were walking towards. The turtle girl walked on her toes, trying to keep her mouth close to his ear to ease his ability to hear her.

"Just keep holding my hand until she can't see us anymore." She spoke low between her teeth to keep Mu from hearing her.

Venus looked behind herself one last time when they made a turn. Now behind the building, the prying eyes of Mu could no longer see them. Immediately, Venus released her grip on Leo. In turn, he released his fingers from her grasp.

"What was that all about?" Leonardo asked, looking back over his shoulder, hoping the elderly woman had not somehow caught up to them. As sweet as she seemed, she creeped him out a little. Perhaps it was the language barrier, but how she looked him up and down continuously was not at all welcoming.

"Mu thought you were my boyfriend." Venus explained easily. Leonardo, on the other hand, got bright red. As bad as he wanted to conceal the mix of amazement as to how the woman would make that depiction and how excited he was that was part of the reason why Venus was holding him. He tried to speak calmly, but each time he tried to begin his sentence, he had to cough it out to get it through.

"And you went with it?" He tried to play it cool by composing himself. Outside, he was somewhat stoic, yet internally, he was squealing. Venus shrugged her shoulders, followed by a slight head roll to the exaggerated shoulder.

"I tried to tell her otherwise, but you can't win with her." She explained. " It's better to just go along with it." Dumbly, Leonardo nodded his head. Venus kept her gaze forward, obviously focused on something. It's probably the same thing she was focused on getting to earlier. "Before we go see Miwa, we have to drop off our stuff."

"So, where are we headed?" Seeing the determination in her eye, he kept his head erect and eyes locked on the dirt road ahead. Venus replied in a velvety, yet straightforward voice.

"To Miwa's."


	11. Big Wheels Keep on Turning

" _Left a good job in the city,_

 _Workin' for the man every night and day_

 _You ain't gotta worry if you got no money,_

 _People on the river are happy to give_ "

"Big Wheels keep on turnin'!" Donatello screeched on top of his lungs. The turtle couldn't care less that his voice sounded like an extremely tone deaf person since he was having so much fun dancing around with his family.

 **"Turnin'!"** The rest of them replied with as much loudness, also dancing along to the woman on the TV screen.

"Proud Mary keep on Burnin'!"

 **"Burnin'!**

"Rollin'!"

 **"Rollin'!"**

"Rollin'!"

 **"Rollin'!**

"Rollin' on the river!"

Unknowingly to them, their rat father stood behind their fun. With no need for it, Donatello had the armor from his arms removed along with his goggles and the complicated straps that secured his antennae on his back. Next to him on the outside was Mona Lisa. The heat that came from topside prompted her to replace her Chinese garb for a black V-neck and an old pair of white, ragged basketball shorts she had found around the house. For an added measure, her hair was braided up into a bun to let the back of her neck breathe. Every ridiculous dance move they preformed registered through their sensei's mind. They were prompted to push the air beside them repeatedly, spin and bow quickly, and tip toe while throwing their torsos forward.

"These are my children." He commented. The four had heard him, but were too enticed to beat one another in the game to give a smart remark back. Seeing enough, their rat father tip toed into the kitchen.

In no time at all, the song ended and the dancer on the screen performed her finishing move until exploding into red and gold confetti. Tired, the four dancers back peddled slowly to the couch behind them. Their large, 6ft bodies collided as they fell back into the cardboard and blankets. A collective sigh was released from their lungs.

"Your pick, Donnie." Michelangelo informed. His hands reached down to the knot his tattered jacket was tied up in. The knot easily loosened until he was able to get both of the arms away from each other and off of his body. This way, his abdomen was better able to breathe. The purple banded brother shook his head.

"I don't know." Mona lifted her lolled head off the back of the couch.

"Dagobama?" She suggested; her eyes looking for any signs of takers.

"Doesn't that require a lot of movement?" Donnie replied, sassily yet tired. The lizard lady shrugged her shoulders. She knew they were all physically tired, but it was an honest suggestion.

"I'm out." Raphael began to unhook the wii remote from his wrist, which was hard to just slip his hand out of. All half-lidded eyes watched him struggle to get the thin, white strap off.

"C'mon. Keep playing with us." Mikey whined into his ear. The closeness and the pitch of it made the red clad turtle's ear ache enough to shove his face away. His fat fingers on his face was always an act of normalcy, so Michelangelo did not phase from it at all.

"We've been playing for three hours and went through three generations of Just Dance."

"Then it's time we play another game." The youngest voice came out smooth and flowing. "What ya'll say to RockBand 2?" He raised his hand up high for them all to see.

"I call the guitar!" Donnie promptly raised his remote-attached hand. The end of it banged against his wrist from the sudden movement. He quickly aided the pain by a hard grip of his other hand. His sister, whose side was buried underneath his, slipped out and headed to where they kept the game instruments.

"I get the Bass!" She called as she went to go get the equipment. Donatello followed suit to grab the guitar and drum set in the corner of the room, right next to where the drum set was temporarily located until they cleaned out another room. They could have done that now if they were so bored, but nobody wants to do that. Michelangelo picked up the microphone from the bin where they kept their stash of video games. The long, black cord was neatly wrapped up until he uncoiled it and let it fall to the floor.

"Yeah! Mike on the Mic!" He screeched with the unhooked microphone next to his lips. Raphael's hand pressed hard against his face, letting it fall after hearing that ridiculous pun. Then, he picked up the remote that was set up as 'Player 1'. The remote rose to the sensor; he pushed the home button and fixed it to where the screen switched to the home screen of the game console.

"Is it gonna be like this from now on?" Raphael's voice carried over as he got up and switched the discs into the console. "Rather be outside than staying cooped up in here."

"Splinter's rules: No one gets to go out while Leo's gone." Donatello reminded him. The guitar and drum set were carried in each hand. Behind him was Mona, who was carrying her game bass and the drumsticks. Donnie set the drum set down in front of one of the small sushi stools for Raphael to play on. The red clad turtle lifted himself off of the couch and sat down behind the set hastily. When Mona came by, the drumsticks were slipped out of her hand. She got somewhat annoyed by his rude actions, but she was no where as annoyed as he was.

"I've gone out plenty of times without Leo. Now he's gone and Splinter wants to keep us locked up in here?"

"It's not really his fault." Donatello wrapped the guitar strap around his shoulder. From previous alterations and added straps, the guitar went over his large figure easily. "If any of us go topside and get into trouble, we'll be starting up another fight. This time, we don't have a leader."

"Yeah bro. It's not gonna be the same without him." Michelangelo had just hooked up the microphone. He took a step toward Raphael's direction and snatched the remote from his hand to set up the game. Their biggest brother sulked down into his small stool. Just thinking about staying down there made him relive the worst of childhood when they spent years underground. It also sucked to know they all had good points. Leonardo was the one that got them rallied up and organized. Now that he's not home, they were as dysfunctional as ever, or at least, fighting wise. Raphael's eyes took themselves off of the colored drums and to his surroundings. The large TV screen turned white with instructions how to use the wii remote. Michelangelo was hooking the receivers for the drum, bass, and guitar for the game to register the instruments. For a brief moment before they were to begin playing, Donatello took a seat on another sushi stool. The guitar sat on the side of him with the body of it barely hanging off his thigh. Moving across the screen, Mona's silhouette popped out from the somewhat dim room and bright TV screen. She was obviously struggling with her instrument of choice.

"We have Mona. She's our four." Six eyes turned to the struggling lizard lady trying to adjust the bass to her smaller size. The additional strapping and tight knots confused her. She began to feel sets of eyes on her, a feeling she had gotten often but not usually for the right reasons.

"Ha! She's also the retiree getting back into shape. If I start wheezing out there and my back throws out then you guys are in trouble." She joked loudly. Michelangelo and Donatello chuckled along with her. Mona was already three years older than her, so how could they forget that they must be aware of their "elderly" sister's ailments.

"Wonder what they're up to." Raphael admitted. What kind of adventure could they be doing at this moment? Just knowing that his older brother and sister were out in a place where he could live in the sun and learn something new irked him. How come Leonardo and Venus got to go? They could not make this a family affair? Totally whack.

"They said they'll hit us up once they get settled out there."

"How long has it been?" He looked at his wrist, although he was fully aware he did not have a watch on him. Mona picked up her shell-cell from the bean bag chair where the rest of them had dropped them before game play. There were no new messages or missed calls. Only the picture of she and Venus was on her wallpaper. She stood there for a second, missing her sister until checking the time just above their brow.

"They probably landed by now." She guess-timated.

"Are you all going to play something quiet for once?" The quiet, shaken voice came from where the kitchen was. Their father descended down the small flight of two steps. Splinter carried his plate of brown rice and cheese cubes into the living room. He scanned his surroundings, trying to get a feel for their mood.

"You mean sing loud rock music while Raph bangs on a drum? I guess." Mikey giggled. Their master sighed in anticipation to the continuation of no silence in the home. It was just too much to ask for. The opening of the game just so happened to begin blaring once their father settled in there. Mikey was quick to press the '+' button to skip it and get straight to the game menu.

"Sensei, aren't you supposed to be an overly concerned parent? We haven't heard from them yet." Master Splinter chuckled quietly. Raphael must have been very desperate if he was going to pull the parent card on him. It was usually something Leonardo would pull if his brothers were undermining his authority and looked to his father for help.

"It's only been a couple hours, Raphael. I trust your siblings are safe in eachother's company." With a single hand, he supported his small plate as the other hand guided a pair of chopsticks. The marbled sticks straddled a clump of the brown rice and made it to his narrow mouth.

"Yeah Raph, I think Leo's doing just fine with his company." The youngest turtle nudged him mentally. He was indeed prompted to throw a drumstick at him, but refrained from doing so since his dad was right there. At least he knew that Leonardo wanted nobody to find out about what he thought about Venus, but since two of his brothers knew about it, he was supposed to trust them to keep their mouths shut. Mikey wasn't making it any less obvious by dancing around the subject and implying it every time they talked about them both.

"You can still explore the sewers, but you must stay patient down here." Unhappy, Raphael leaned over the drum set. As flimsy and light the set was, it held its own against Raphael's hulking weight.

"It's going to be like when we were kids." He grumbled, picking his character for the game.

"Then, you should be used to it by now." Splinter remarked. He took another bite of rice before turning around and looking to finish his meal in his quarters. "I promise you will not grow mad down here, my son. After all the events that have happened in such a quick year, I am certain that quality family time is in order."

"How can you have 'quality family time' if the whole family isn't here?" Raphael made sure to tone down his voice to not make it sound like he was testing his father. That never usually ended well.

"Family reunions do not include all of your family, for the rest of your family is the entire world. Everyone, now's the time to re-acquaint yourselves with one another. You are all young and growing so quickly that your points of view are often overlooked by your strenuous activities. Relearn about the one's you have grown up with and really get to know our newest additions. I am sure you do not know your new sister as much as you do not know about me." What? The four teens got very quiet. Only the low rumble of the game's background music played.

"We've spent 16 years with you, sensei." Donatello said matter-of-factly, a sly smile crept on his face as he chose his character.

"Pretty sure we got you on lock." Mikey chortled. Splinter did not reply. He took the time to smile, but it was a devious one. This rat daddy was cooking up something good to fire back at them with.

"Hm? Have you ever realized that when I was mutated I was only a year old?" He asked smoothly. Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing.

"Wait, what?" Raphael broke the silence.

"Holy chalupa!" Donnie shouted. It almost scared his family for he had not been so loud by himself before.

"What? But, that would make you-." Mona began to count in her head, but as the thought of the news and the bumbling numbers, she began to count on her fingers.

"17 years old." Their sensei spoke as calmly as ever. The light smile on his face indicated he was enjoying their reactions greatly. Mikey trotted over to his father. When he kneeled before him, his chunky fingers brushed the back of his father's face. It also brought his sensei's head closer so he could study his features.

"Splinter, you look so young!" He half-joked, keeping a look of surprise and awe. Splinter removed his hands from his head.

"Rats are fully grown by the age of one. Chronologically, I am 17, yet, biologically, I am the equivalent of a 45 year old man." He explained. Donatello nodded slowly, giving an indication to the others who were to look for him for reassurance that he was indeed telling the truth. Sensei wasn't tugging on their shells on this one.

"But… but…" Mikey's words stuttered, but Splinter didn't stick around long enough to hear the rest of what he had to say.

"Relearn." He repeated.


	12. Mastering Rule 3

The building was not nearly as impressive as Leonardo imagined. If he was left wandering the village himself, he would have passed it up completely. There was no fancy decorations, no gold trim or bright red walls. The Wu Kwan was the same muddy, brown color most of the village buildings were. The only thing that distinguished it from the homes was the absence of a porch which was replaced by a short flight of steps into the building. Leonardo and Venus stepped lightly as they approached the door. It was very sturdy with hard paper covering the cut out squares. Venus reached for the knob and turned it. Very steadily did she let it open, not omitting a single creak from its hinges. The two poked their heads into the room. There was a woman sitting on the floor. Her back was turned to them as she sat in a criss-cross position. In front of her was an array of candles before a mural of a metallically colored dragon on the wall. Beside her was a small, colored teapot and teacup. Leo did not know nearly anything about Chinese tradition, but as a Japanese-reared boy, it appeared she was merely enjoying herself and taking in the fine detail of the art before her.

"Hexie." Venus spoke, disturbing the silence. The woman stopped. The cup's rim barely pressed up to her lips before she calmly set it back down beside her. Silence followed.

"Meinu." The woman finally spoke. Surely, she stood up and turned to reveal her face. She was a middle aged, Japanese woman. Her outfit was all black, like a true ninja, complete with yoga-like pants and a long sleeve turtleneck. Her hair and makeup were the most interesting. Her haircut was blonde underneath and a natural black color overlaying it. Her tresses were short with the exception of a single strip on long, black hair on each side dangling down to the middle of her neck. Black eyeliner carved out her small eyes with an edgy flavor to them. Lastly, a splash of red lay underneath the ends of her eye wings. She was most interesting indeed, but such an abnormal creature was no less a beautiful, older woman. This must be Miwa, but the tension of the room made no assurance of that.

Her hand whipped out from her side with the form of a Frisbee thrower. Flying from her hand, three familiar, shape-pointed discs were whipped into Venus' direction. The turtle girl made no move to the side and out of the way, as Leonardo did. Instead, she stood perfectly still. She appeared to be waiting for the shurukin to come to her. Speedily, the discs came for her. Suddenly, her three-fingered hands slowly rose up to her vision. Her hands began to glow and an irritated look on her face grew. The shurukin came near her face until they began to glow with the same, blue aura of her hands. The course of the discs was changed, rounding themselves near her face before heading straight to the woman who threw them. Leonardo was not sure that the other woman was magical as well, but he knew she'd be in for a flurry of cuts in a matter of seconds. The woman did not move either. Instead, she picked off the shurukin as they came close, throwing them down to the ground and stopping their deadly movements.

"Couldn't catch them today?" The woman's defensive posture dropped. She became loose and comfortable as she strode towards the two.

"They came in too fast for me." Venus shrugged, leaning on her left side. "I'll get it down soon." The woman let out an audible 'Hm', smiling. The turtle girl removed her hat and left it and her robe hanging on an available hook. Funny enough, there were only two hooks up to her reach as compared to the rest of the hooks underneath that were meant for the rest of her normal sized students. Venus tapped the back of her finger on his shoulder, telling him to hang his hat and coat up. Miwa must have been a stickler for having outerwear in the Wu Kwan. Leonardo obeyed, wanting to remain on the woman's good side, even if it compromised his identity. He didn't see it, but Miwa held on a look of surprise. Instead of addressing it directly, she treated it as if anyone could look like that and did not let her curiosity get the best of her reunion with her old student.

"You're repelling abilities are getting stronger." She complimented. Her voice was smooth and soothing for such a rock-hard woman.

"Oh yeah. If anybody throws something at me less than an ounce, I'm so in there." Venus spoke sarcastically, using outrageous hand gestures to prove her point. The woman giggled before they both bowed to one another.

"Nice to have you drop by." Both let up and embraced one another in a warm hug. Underneath her black long sleeve, Leonardo could see the muscling in the older woman's arms. It wasn't even a tight shirt yet the bumps of her arm were still apparent. He continued to watch, as he has been since they got there. They released one another's embrace. "What brings you to the backwoods?"

"Miwa," She reached behind her, gripping Leo's shoulder pad. "He seeks your assistance." It was her. The woman he'd been so anxious to meet. He bowed graciously.

"Hello, Great martial arts Master."

"Oh, you speak Japanese? What is it that you want?" Her tongue was quick, too quick for Leonardo to register.

"Um," He had to think of something smart to say. This is her first impressions of him and he had to make this right. "Hello, great martial arts master." He repeated, internally cursing himself. He could feel a bead of sweat trying to form on his brow. It meant everything to him that he impresses this master of martial arts and so far, it wasn't going the way he planned it to be. Miwa nodded.

"I guess I should continue in English?" She asked. Leonardo looked up from his bow. She was still smiling. This is going good.

"Yes, please." He replied. He tried to make his rise from his bow not so hasty that he appeared more desperate and nervous than he already was. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. What is it that you want?" She repeated, keeping her kind nature. He cleared his throat to introduce himself.

"My name is Leonardo. I come from a family of ninjas and have traveled all this way from New York City to be guided under your wing." Leonardo showed her his crest-worthy smile.

"Ninja?" She spat out fiercely. Suddenly, a fist came up to the Master's mouth, followed by her blowing a dust into Leonardo's face. It did not sting or blind him as it tried to get into his eyes, yet it proved a great distraction. Somehow, he was down on the ground. She had him underneath her; his arms crossed behind his shell as she used her arms and body to pin them there. "Mei! How could you associate yourself with an assassin?" She shouted. Venus took a step back. She was just as confused as Leonardo when Miwa's "Dragon Lady" side surfaced. "Where is Mona?" She asked. Before Venus could try to explain, she held Leonardo tighter. The pain was only a pinch feeling as she came close to his ear, forcing him to listen to her. "Are your ninjas keeping her hostage while you force Venus here to dig into the secrets of our craft that your kind have disgraced?" She accused. Leonardo wanted to shake his head no, but with so much restricted movement, the attempt turned into a body shake. Miwa saw this as a way to escape her grasp and pushed down harder. Leonardo winced from it.

"No! It's not like that!" Venus cried.

"Then, what is it like?"

"They are honorable beings who value the ways of bushido. They've saved the world at least once or twice, sabotaging the villain's plans. But, back home, they must stick to the shadows as Mona and I have while living with them. If they came into the light, the people will fear and come after us. That is why they call themselves 'ninja'." Leonardo could feel the woman's grip loosen up on him. Naturally, he would have taken the chance to escape from her grasp, but he feared that if he tried and she caught him again, the pain will only ensue. Instead, he remained underneath her, hoping his patience will last Venus' coaxing.

"Then, where is Mona if she is not here?"

"Back home with them, they are brothers of four." The turtle girl explained.

"By now, all four of them are probably playing 'Just Dance'." Leonardo forced out with his chest still compressed into the floor.

"I see." Miwa admitted. A rush of relief flowed through his arms as they were released and his attacker got off of his back. He looked up for a second and picked himself off the ground. Venus helped him up halfway by puling him up by the arm. "My apologies, young one."

"None taken." He said truthfully. From how his sensei would treat a potential attacker, Miwa was just a mother bear to her girls. Although he wasn't sure what types of relationships other senseis and students had with one another, his theory made more than enough sense. "You are really strong, Miwa." Leonardo took into account as he rubbed a tortured part of his arm where her grip was the strongest. He expected that she would joke with him like she had with Venus, but the woman did not laugh.

"As my student, you must address me as 'sensei'." She ordered. Leonardo's smiled quickly faded into worry.

"S-sorry, sensei?" He took a second to realize what she had said. "You're taking me?" He asked in disbelief. This was probably one of the most exciting moments of his life, even bigger than when he learned that there was a 'Finding Dory' coming out.

"Only if you prove your allegiance to me and dare not question my methods of teaching." Her terms could not be more spot on to what Leonardo intended to do. His head nodded dumbly, his lips sucked into his mouth.

"Miwa! Miwa!" A voice shouted from another room. It was high pitched and lame-sounding. "Where is that kumquat?" Miwa sighed, but Venus lit up like a Christmas tree.

"Is that?" Her voice trailed off with her question. Miwa gave a single nod before ushering them to follow her. Her place of rest was just as impressive as the outside. Miwa seemed to live simply with plain walls and meager decorations. It strongly contrasted the junk-filled, poster plastered place he and his family called home. Venus, on the other hand, reminisced in her surroundings. The views of her home brought many childhood memories being trained under her. She and Mona would run down these halls when she would "baby-sit" and battle for dumplings in the kitchen the way they were trained to do. They were approaching the kitchen and could hear the tearing of bags and boxes and repetition of drawers opening and closing.

"Miwa! Miwa!" The voice called again. The three got into the kitchen. It was a slight mess with every drawer and cabinet open. Boxes and bags of food were left on the kitchen counter. The refrigerator was open to a very elderly man. He was short, his face groomed with long, white strips of facial hair on each side of his lip and hanging off his chin. A similar hat to Venus' sat on his long, silky white hair. He had himself covered in a robe of light green with gold trims. Venus' arms stretched outwards, quickly advancing towards the old man.

"Ancient One!" Venus exclaimed. He closed the refrigerator and missed Venus completely when she made a grab for him. His small stature rolled from underneath her. He didn't seem excited at all in her presence. Venus unwrapped her arms from her body and nodded her head t must be a behavior the old man often expressed.

"Hi, Venus." He said nonchalantly and he approached who he was calling. "Miwa!" He screeched into her face. The woman appeared calm, smiling and humoring him.

"Yes?"

"What is this?" In his hand, he pushed a round, yellow object into her face.

"An apple, Ancient One."

"Where are the cookies? Where are the chips? There's nothing but trash in here." Miwa, continuing to humor him, pushed the apple down from her view of him.

"It's called 'health food', Master." She answered sarcastically. "It is also something you should eat once in a while to live longer." The Ancient One scoffed at her.

"I didn't get this old to eat rabbits' food!" He shook the apple in her face before making a trip to the counter to set it down, adding to his mess. "Besides, I am too old to die." The other three of the room exchanged glances. Both Miwa and Venus had to silently assure Leonardo that it was best to just roll along with the old man. "Aha!" He screeched, pulling a red bag out of a cabinet. "Jerky!" He pulled out a couple strips for them all to see his prize. Next, his prizes were sloppily consumed with his wrinkled lips.

"Ancient One?" Venus cocked her head to the side to see his face underneath his wide brimmed hat. His small brown eyes looked up, yet he continuously continued to eat like a pig. Venus pushed him nicely on the back to approach Leonardo. Venus may have been a large figure beside him, but Leonardo suddenly became King Kong. "This is my friend, Leonardo." His slitted eyes reviewed him critically. His munching stopped, following a swallow. The blue clad turtle knew not what to do but bow respectfully to the man.

"Greetings, Anc-." He was cut off abruptly.

"Why'd you bring a green monkey boy?" He asked, rudely. Then, a familiar but not at all welcoming sound expelled from the man. Venus, who stood behind him, walked away abruptly, holding her nose. He turned to the retreating girl. "What? It is only air." But his explanation kept Venus at bay beside Miwa, who was fanning her off. A flush of red crept onto Leonardo's face, unsure of how to react to even that, or at least, politely.  
"I'm here to take Miwa as my second sensei." He explained for her, lifting himself up high in hopes that the stench of his gas would not reach his nose.

"Ha! Good luck!" Ancient One chortled, and then continued his snacking. "He won't be able to survive real Kung Fu out here."

"Actually, he is trained under bushido." Venus clarified. Instead of listening, he slipped a piece of jerky out and pointed it t her menacingly.

"He is in China, so it is called Kung Fu." The turtle girl gave up her further explanations. She was right, there's no need to explain yourself to the people out here who make their own assumptions. "Look at him. Much too large to be sneaking around. You need less bulk on the top." The old man circled Leonardo. The leader kept himself upright as the older man criticized and judged his looks. Stay nice, even if they act like Raphael with a stick up his butt. "You not wrestler?"

"Well…"

"Shoulder pads, wrist wraps, wrapped legs…" His fist knocked on the bare caps of his knees. He reacted to the unexpected knock by stepping backwards to avoid it. No need for the surprisingly strong old man messing up his knees. "Do you even win your fights? You look like the loser if you ask me."

"I do have some piece of work on my hands." Miwa added; her arms folded over her chest as she shifted her weight back. The turtle was pulled forward once the man tugged on the strap crossing his chest.

"What is this on you?" It was meant to be a rhetorical question. Then, he realized that Venus, too, was wearing it in the same fashion. "Belts belong on your waists, kumquats." Leonardo slowly became annoyed with the rude, old man. All he's done so far was insult him, and to top it off, he was already attacked. He didn't need this. Yet, he remembered his training and tolerated such behavior. Only a blank slated face came from him.

Miwa took a hold of one of Venus' belt straps. She smiled, complimenting how she liked the idea to colorful replace the black ribbon she used to wear. Then, she admired the rest of Venus' wear. The same old, traditional skirt remained with the addition of a sweatband on her arm, an adorable turtle beaded necklace, along with jelly bands on each wrist. Looking for more, she crossed over to Venus' other side. As she did, she stood in awe to her painted, yin yang fish shell. It gave her much pride to the growing turtle that even in America; she still kept her Chinese roots. It was when she viewed the other side of her that her smile faded.

"Venus! You have a tattoo!?" Miwa grabbed her green, muscled arm with the stick-persona of the Wonder Woman tattoo on her bicep. The Ancient One took hold of Leonardo's arm as well. Just as he thought, he scorned the checkered bands and the large, tropical styled pizza cutter tattoo.

"So does the boy." He clicked his tongue disapprovingly. "Such a bad influence." He then began to think how Mona Lisa was doing. As mentally unstable he knew she was, the girl must have tattoos all over her body with difficult and useless piercing. The thought of it disgusted him.

Venus looked away from the judging Miwa and to Leonardo. To another, he was perfectly calm, but she knew better. That blank slate in an uncomfortable state only meant that he was bottling himself up.

"Okay. So, while we let you figure out what you are going to do, I guess we will get back home." Miwa released Venus, letting her trot away. Leonardo wanted to sigh in relief so badly, but knew that he should no continue to be so rude. It was best to do it when they were away from them.

"You are staying at your home?" Miwa called. Venus nodded slowly. "Come by tomorrow morning for breakfast. I've got food to spare, as long as that old pile of mush over there doesn't eat it all." Her thumb cocked over to the older man. He continued to give Leonardo threatening looks as he continued to eat. He took his eyes off of the annoyed, hulking figure.

"With what's in your cabinet, not a chance." He retorted. Miwa giggled slightly.

"We'll be here." Venus promised. Then, she bowed before her and looked for the exit. After her, Leonardo took a step forward and bowed.

"Thank you, for your hospitality, sensei." He thanked, keeping all of his thoughts of their judgment away. Miwa appeared pleased and bowed to him as well.

"I will see you tomorrow, Leonardo."


	13. April's Angel

_"Angel?"_ April picked up her cell phone. She was thinking about visiting her underground friends since Leonardo and Venus left yesterday. It just happened to be a coincidence that her 'little sister' decided to call, who was so interested in meeting them.

"When you gonna be home?" Angel asked. Her cap was on the floor. A flurry of her braids looked like abstract art spread over her bed. She looked up to the ceiling with her cell-phone by her mouth on speaker phone.

" _Pretty late. I'm visiting some friends of mine. The special ones."_ April added.

"Oh." Angel jumped up, picking her torso off the bed and supported by a single arm. "Then you should take me with you. Now's the time."

 _"Nope."_

"C'mon! I did my homework, my room clean, and I gotta whole day of NOTHING!" She argued. It didn't please her when she heard April chuckle into the speaker.

 _"Sorry. It's official business. I can't have kids in official business."_

"Let me put on an 'official business' outfit and pick me up in 10." She said desperately. She heard April sigh.

 _"Bye, Angel."_ Then the phone clicked to end their conversation. Angel looked into the phone. For sure, it read 'Call ended' before reverting back to her 'Kenan and Kel' wallpaper. She sighed, scrolling through her apps.

"Guess it's time for Plan B." She scrolled through her pages until she found what she was looking for. The app had a GPS with a pin on it. When she clicked it, a menu popped up with 'Phone Tracker' as the heading. She grinned from ear to ear as she easily entered April's number into the space provided. When she pressed the 'Go' button, a searching screen pulsated briefly. In no time, the phone spoke with the phone's location pin pointed. From the address it gave it, April was in her apartment, but the pin began to move, indicating she was out and about on the streets. Angel giggled and kicked her feet excitably that it was working. Then, she rolled off her bed and picked her blue cap off the floor. It sat nicely when she set it on her head. Next, she grabbed her black pair of converse, yelling as she tied them. "Granma! I'm headed to April's place." Her voice echoed. Her abuela sat in the lit living room. It was a small and compact space with addition to the big, chunky furniture, but that's how she liked it; her own cozy, safe place in her home with a TV in front of her. On her lap, a small set of papers were being written on as she did her taxes in front of her favorite telenovela.

"Bueno, tell her I said 'Hi'!" Angel walked into the living room to plant a small kiss on her soft cheek.

"Will do!" Out of excitement, the little Latina scrambled out of the house, but she had to make sure she wasn't stomping on the floor. Granma hated that.

The shine of the hot sun hit her back when she turned to lock the house door. It was a good thing she traded her purple crop sweater for a black racer back with "Disney's Forgotten Princess" on the front.

"Aye! Angel!" A boy called next door. Angel's keys jiggled when she put them back into her shorts pocket. She looked up at the source of the voice.

"What's good, Troy?" She called to the African American boy that went to the same school as her. She and Troy were the only ones in the neighborhood to go to school at Jefferson and not the local one that was literally a hop, skip, and a step away. Troy had gotten in trouble in junior high and they both believed he could do better than continue being with the bad friends and hanging out with them seven hours a day, five days a week. In Angel's case, she went there to keep up with her friends Andrea and Jessie. Jessie had not been her friend anymore and avoided both her and Andrea. Andrea, on the other hand, got in trouble with her parents when she slipped up about Jessie. Knowing Angel and Jessie were eachother's doppelgangers, they forced her to stay away. Both girls were heartbroken and Angel sought no way to continue attending the school if she could not hang with the friends she intended to stay with. Yet, her granma refused and advised her to stay at the school and make new friends. Easy for her to say.

"Nothin' much! Where you headed?" Beside him, he and his other friends of color sat on the steps to the house. They kept an old-styled radio on the doormat, tuning into the hip-hop radio station while they talked about the current events of teenagers.

"Goin' to my 'Big Sisters'!" Troy nodded. The rest of his friends had no idea what she meant by that, knowing Angel didn't have a sister, but they carried on.

"Aight, then. Catch you later shawty!" His white teeth showed through his dark lips as he put a hand up to wave her off.  
"Aight!" Angel lifted her hand as well, then jumped of her own porch and kept her head down on her cell phone.

Carefully, Angel tried to maneuver herself around the busy streets from Harlem to New York City. Her head kept low, watching the movements of April as she tracked her down. The subway ride was a calming mechanism for her. She remembered when she and her Granma would take trips on the subway to visit zoos and parks, which brought back many happy memories when her guardian was more mobile. Today, she mostly sits at home and only gets up to go to work. Sometimes, Angel wishes she would retire, but she knew better that her granma was still working to support the both of them. Besides, she often told Angel when she was feeling sorry that a few extra years of work is nothing compared to more years being with her granddaughter. For that, Angel was always thankful. So, the thirty minute ride never bothered her when she went to school or to April's house.

She got off the subway and pushed through the already pushy crowd as she surfaced above the underground. The pin on the phone moved to and fro. Apparently, April must have done a little bit of shopping, possibly with her friends. Angel decided to pick up her pace. Luckily for her, the sidewalks were moving along just dandily. For the next couple of miles, Angel kept her eyes on the phone, trusting the crowd in front of her will cross the streets at the safest time possible. Her blue pin was moving closer and closer towards April's red one. Suddenly, a tag popped up to where the address the phone was at. Angel realized that it was in April's apartment building. Angel dared to look up to see the exact apartment building in front of her.

"What?" Angel gasped. She stood across the street, growing angry with herself. "Dang! I missed her. Came all the way out for nothing." She growled out of frustration. Now, she had to turn around and go back home. What will granma say when she came home early. She knew exactly how much time it took to get to April's and it wouldn't make sense that she came back in the same amount of time to make a round trip. The lowly girl was about to turn around and think of a plan until the door to the apartment opened. She stared to see that it was the dark haired woman she was stalking.

"Where you goin'?" She asked herself. Angel had to keep out of April's sight in fear that she may not take her with and send her away. The Latina took refuge behind a store wall. Paying no mind for the passing stares or lack of them as she suspiciously peeked around the corner and watched April turn around the back of the building. Afraid of losing her, Angel disclosed her location and tip toed across the street. It was broad daylight, so Angel took care not to cast any shadows as she looked down the alleyway. The space between the two, windowless sides of the buildings created a dark space that harbored two dumpsters on either side of the respective businesses. Suddenly, April stopped. Angel kept her gasp in as she retreated her head from the alley. With an obvious purpose, April had to make sure that no one saw her enter or what she was about to do. With an all clear across the street, April presumed. Behind the wall, Angel waited a moment before risking getting caught. Cautiously, she looked again to see April's back to her once again. Good, she wasn't onto her. For some weird reason, April bent down and was trying to lift something up. From the lack of seeing it up on the surface, it must have been a manhole. Angel tried to comprehend as she watched her 'Big Sister' lift the heavy item and shove it aside. Next, April began to place her feet into the whole, putting her feet on the ladder. Angel pushed back against the wall once April was fully in the hole. Next, she heard the sliding of the manhole on the concrete as April slid it over her head. Angel looked down at her phone. For a while, the red pin was stationary. A feeling much like a sugar rush filled the Latina once she saw the red pin begin to move, acting as if April was above surface. Her friends are underground!

"Aha!" Angel walked down the alleyway. Just as April had done, she took the same precautions until her body was hit with the shadows. There was, indeed, a black manhole. Satisfied, Angel squatted down and tried to lift it. The thing was heavy. _"How can April lift this thing?"_ she thought as she felt like she was power lifting the manhole aside. Finally, the contraption was giving way and slid alongside the concrete. Because of the heavy delay, Aprils could not have heard it screech. She checked her phone again; the pin still moving underneath her. She looked down in the manhole. The idea that the sewer pipes were also down there began to gross her out, but the thought that April could do it, gave her the confidence to continue to pursue. She smiled deviously and spoke down to the darkness below. "Gotcha!"


	14. Look Who Came to Visit

. Dang, it stank down there! She had lost visual on her ever since she went underground. Luckily, her phone scrounged around for enough bars to allow her tracking app to work. So far, the route April took was very dry. Every turn was solid cement, although occasionally a flow of sewage would glide beside her pathway. That was when Angel had to close up her nose and squint her eyes. How could April do this on occasion? It was a relief when the sewer rivers would go away, but it was not pure joy when she looked up to believe that it was flowing through the pipeline overhead. Terrible thoughts of them bursting, or even dripping did not settle easily for her.

The girl remained quiet, making sure her steps barely made a sound even though April was a good start ahead of her. It was an easy two mile walk, but it wasn't a straightline drive either, so it was debateable how far away she really was from the start. Angel tripped over herself. She caught her first glimpse of April since she got down there. She was pulling down a select few pipes along a longer pipline in a pattern. The sequence accepted it and lifted up a secret door embedded in the brown bricks. The brunette walked through it easily. Angel had to act fast as she saw the door begin to slowly shut down. Whether or not April caught her, Angel had to act now to at least know what it was on the other side of that wall. The Latina sprinted. She had to bend over to surpass the falling door. She grew out of breath. Her shallow breathing made her fear that April had probably spotted her already. Instead, she turned to another door. This time, it was steel and cracked open. This one must have been a normal door. So, Angel took the time to regain her normal breathing to persue April. As her breath began to calm down, Angel was going to walk through the door.

Suddenly, the change of venue made her retreat quickly back to the room she was in before. April was walking ahead of her, but the scene had changed completely. And so, she hid behind the door, watching between the crack and listening. The usual sewer scene changed into an underground home in a matter of seconds.

"Mikey!" April called. She looked left and right. Angel grew excited. She was calling her obscure rescuer. Finally, with the adequate lighting, she could get a good look of him. In no time at all, the sound of someone barreling over thudded in the room.

"Hey, Angelcakes!" The mutant trotted from another room. Angel sat back in awe as she saw the large figure come up and scoop April effortlessly in his cut up arms.

" _Is April his Boo Thang?"_ She thought as she looked him over. He was obviously loving that she stopped by his humble abode. Just look at that stupid grin on his face. From the shadows, he had an abnormally shaped head that was quite large, yet the bulk of his body seemed to measure it out. Now visable, she viewed the shell that kept to his back at all times. His chest was of a similar, lighter pattern that imitated a chest and abdominals. Guessing by the shell on his back and the green complexion, she had to guess he was some sort of turtle related creature. One with a fly style, she had to add.

"You come for breakfast?" She heard him speak again. Her curiousity wanted to beg to him to talk more to calm her interest, but she had to remain hidden. April broke out of the hug to look him in the eye. She hand kept onto his shoulder.

"I didn't mean to." She replied honestly. Mikey took her hand and spun her around to another direction. The woman twirled easily, thinking nothing about it but Mikey's usual charm.

"Well, you came at a good time cuz everybody's done and we got enough for ya." He chuckled.

"Sweet. What did you guys have?"

 _"'You guys?' 'Everybody?' There's more?"_ The thought exploded in her mind.

"Turkey bacon, wheat toast, and a whole pot of oatmeal." He listed. Just the sound of food reminded Angel's stomach that she hadn't eaten much that morning. She clutched her stomach, hoping it would stop and silence its contractions.

"Talk about heart healthy." April nodded. She was a health nut herself, much with the aid of her old job. Her turtle friend fake-licked his hand and smoothed it over his head. His three fingered hand smoothed down from the back of his neck, moving down to the front of where the joint connected the shoulder and the chest.

"You don't get lookin' this good by snackin' down pancakes and waffles everyday." He bragged, trying to look as suave as possible. April shook her head and made way for the kitchen. The suave turtle followed behind her, walking with swag in his step.

They were getting away! The Latina made extra sure that the two did not suspect a thing. She felt like an animal coming out of hiding, a prairie dog leaving its den, always keeping a lookout for a swooping hawk or eagle on the move. With April or no, the home made her feel queezy simply because of the unknown creatures that lived underneath. Maybe they're cool, which is why April hangs out with them, but how was she to know for certain? Maybe there was a rogue one who's vicious? Maybe they're from another planet? What if April was from another planet? She could be one of the few disguised as a human while the others depicted themselves as turtles? Nah. Angel took a chance and sprang from her position. Her first dive went towards the couch. Girl had to appreciate the amount of time the thing must have taken, and to support multiples of something as big as Michelangelo, mad props. Her hand supported her as she peered over the carboard. The shadows of Mikey and April going down the hall were getting bigger, which meant they were closer to the light sourced by another room.

"Hey! Look who came to visit." Mikey's voice trumpeted as he entered the dojo. His siblings held their ears, their hands surpressing the sound out of their eardrums. The simple whine in the back of his voice was enough to make anybody cringe that the party animal was coming into their calm morning.

"Hey guys!" April sprang from behind him. Their shut eyes gradually opened to the sound of a smooth voice. When they caught eye of the smiling, brunette woman, their brains cleared up and gave their lips a smile. "I'm eating the rest of your breakfasts."

"That's cool, we're done." Donatello waved.

"That's what I heard."

"Glad you're here. Now you can see a little demonstration." The nerd was sitting on the floor. Having possibly woken up a while ago, nothing was strung across his chest. The outlet belts were missing as well as the antennae and goggles that usually sat so proudly on top of his head. Right now, the young teenage warrior sported his skirt, shoes, bandana, and glasses, much like the rest of the underdressed clan. A single leg was outstretched with the other pulled inward to his opposite side. The purple clad turtle bent toward his outstretched foot. His chest touched his knee as he stretched and counted to 45.

"Demonstration? Of what?" April asked. Her greeter strode over to the middle of the floor where his family was sitting.

"Seeing how many places Donnie's foot breaks." Mikey looked back at April. His face read that he did not, at all, believe in his brother's abilities and looked forward to see him embarrass himself. Donatello, understandably, was not pleased at all. Not even the cackling from Raphael added to the mix broke his focus as he went on to stretch the other leg. Good thing was, Mona was supporting him 100%. She was the one who even suggested the exercise after much time was spent taunting Donatello for having a smaller build than anyone living at the house. Venus and Mona may have been slightly smaller, but they constantly reminded him how both are growing in muscle mass and they might surpass him anytime soon. Donatello swears that he didn't mind that they could move past him on the muscle factor, but desperately wanted to prove his brothers wrong that muscle mass is not the overwhelming factor to fight.

"You'll be breakin' more bones than boards on this one." Raphael scoffed. He set the flat, wooden boards down that he had scrounged up from Donnie's lab. He always had some old wood around in case of a wooden emergency, or in his case, something to build. Donatello, done with his stretching and picking himself off the ground, looked at him quite confidently.

"I'm going to show you that it doesn't take just brute strength to be deadly." With that, he began to hop in place and warm up his long legs. April giggled into her hand. She headed for the kitchen, hoping they would wait so she could fix herself a dinner and a show. Raphael increasingly became impatient as he watched him. Michelangelo just wanted to see what the outcome was and hopefully, deep in his heart, see how hilarious he could get if he messed up.

"Donatello is a perfect example of a lean cut who relies more on precsion than strength." Mona Lisa explained further into the matter.

"So, Donnie's a piece of meat?" Mikey chuckled in vibrated repetition of his throat. Donatello looked on, his confident smile never leaving his face.

"Better than a meat loaf." He retaliated. His youngest brother scowled and lifted his upper lip from his teeth to impersonate a buck toothed figure. Then, he curled his two fingers slightly and lifted it up at him as a sign that he wished lighting would strike upon him. The kid picked it up after rediscovering the modern film of "Fat Albert" and favoring the character "Bucky".

"It is a common practice among the women of where I'm from because they keep small, petite bodies and it is untraditional for them to create bulking muscle that the men strive for." Mona walked over to the wood pile and picked up a platform. It was old, but had sturdy properties that would challenge any normal or trained personnel; perfect for a strong mutant animal. The flickerings of peeled paint tickled her fingers as she adjusted it into a comfortable position in her hand. "Due to the traditional ways of life my village as well as the surrounding ones, we still practice teaching the daughters to become perfect wives. Instead of using it to fight, they make sure they angle every inch of their body perfectly right for any occasion: Serving tea, dancing, or any other forms of arts." Michelangelo raised his hand slowly. The opposite arm held his elbow childishly.

"You or Venus weren't trained like that because…?" his question lingered on as his arm went back to his side. Mona looked to the floor briefly, shaking her head.

"C'mon, lets get real. What type of human being would want to marry me?" Her dulled claw probed her in the chest. "A human myself, but green and yellow is not a normal skin tone. Plus the tail, 6ft stature, and the 'Yoshi' nose? I don't think so." Listing each feature, she pointed it out by lifting her tail in her hand and pointing to her large snauze. She talked about it so easily with so much sass and "duh!" in her explanation. Raphael scratched his head before answering. In his head, he was trying to find the right way to explain his point without it sounding too bad.

"You'd be surprised by how many Americans would." Was his answer to her prompt. Understandably, the boys have come across outrageous fandoms who claim they want to date or marry a fictional character that could be not even partially humanly possible. Not to mention their ship wars. They couldn't clearly understand it. The lizard lady gave him a side smile and a raised brow. Internally, she appreciated the note, but she had to be honest with herself.

"Not China. 2xs Mutated and an unmarried, pregnant minor? Nope." Oh yeah. The room got quiet. Mona was unaffected by the silence, yet the three boys stood there uncomfortably quiet. How could they forget Mona was not only a mutant, but unacceptable to some 3rd world standards set by humans. She truly was an outcast; More human, yet less acceptable than Venus. Suddenly, a whine overcame the silence.

"Aww! Mona!" Mikey went for her with an ugly, sad face and outstretched arms. Before he could get his arms to cradle her problems, he was stopped by her cool hand pushing his forehead away from her.

"Stop! Lets get a move on with this." She insisted. Bummed that he couldn't get a hug, he still respected her wishes and let his arms hang down. Mona smiled, showing her appreciation for his cooperation, which lightened him up as well. The mutant girl walked beside the red clad turtle and tapped him slightly on the top of his head. "Raph, squat down." She instructed politely. Now, things were going to get interesting around here. He bent down first to grab a board before letting Mona get on his shoulders. One leg over his shoulder, he aided his up as she used her balance to swing the other leg over his other shoulder. As the massive turtle rose, he could feel her legs tense up to regain balance due to her hands being full of board. In the next phase of the setup, Raphael stood in a wide enough athletic stance for Mikey to squat down on one knee in front and almost under him, holding the lowest board. When the triple tier of mutants was complete, Donatello took a deep breath.

"So, I hit down and use the momentum to move up?" He asked again. He always wanted to make sure everything was right before commencing a procedure.

"That's it." Mona validated.

"Prepare to be amazed." The purple clad turtle exclaimed as he hopped side to side, which also took him backwards to gain some momentum.

"Or sorry." Michelangelo mumbled behind his board. Upon hearing it, Mona leaned slightly to the left to look at the top of his head. She was able to reach him with her tail and proceeded to pat him hard on the shell. The weird feeling of having her tail curl against his back weirded out the standing brute. Sensei may have had a tail, but Mona's was much thicker and stronger. It felt like a snake going down his back all the way to his calves where to which Mikey was kneeling at. The youngest was pushed forward, that was until he caught himself. He glared up towards the hulking two-figure. Mona lifted a brow, not afraid of the little turtle. He let the incident go and returned to his former position.

Donatello placed himself about twenty feet away. Each mutant held their piece of wood up to their faces, placed them as far as their arms could stretch out towards the left. Ready, Donnie began to skip forward, each stride getting faster and smoother as he transitioned into a jog. Before you could think he was going to ram into his family, he used his momentum by jumping off a single leg. As he grew it height, his right foot striked the first board, breaking it clear in half. Mikey, turned away and closed his eyes to anticipate Donnie's foot possibly swiping him or a wood chip looking for a place to nestle into his face. His foot having pushed off the board sent him into a spin, which was what he was hoping for. Turning 180 degrees, he stroke Raphael's board in half with a left foot. Finally, upon reaching the full height of his jump, his right foot was swinging hard and strong to hit his mark of Mona's highest board. The wood cracked. The sound of it splitting filled the room with the wonderous noise. To finish, the flying teen gracefully went with his spin as he landed right on his feet next to the wooden chips. The two non-believers stood in awe, staring down at their broken boards. The maneuver went so fast, lasting a matter of five seconds yet it was totally awesome. Donnie looked back at his audience. With his chin tucked into his shoulder, he gave them a sly wink. He proved them wrong. Don't mess with the genius!

"Wow!" someone exclaimed excitably. They assumed it was April, but when they went to look at where she would have been standing, she wasn't there. First thing in their heads: April missed it! Second thought: who was that? It wasn't hard to determine where the voice was because it stood right in front of them. Angel had been hiding behind some boxes of junk that were lined outside of the doorway. The incredible bodily feat gave her away, including that she had jumped up when it had happened. The four looked at her his utter surprise. Angel immediately slapped her hands over her mouth, but it was too late. Her legs felt cold and still, frozen in fear as the giant animals stared like a deer in headlights.

Raphael's mouth was agape. It turned away slowly, but not keeping his eyes off the visitor. "Someone's here!" His loud voice lingered in song, hoping his father would hear and come to their aid.

"We've been compromised!" Michelangelo screeched. His hands grasped the side of his head, clutching it in disbelief.

In the kitchen, April was feeding herself while visiting Splinter, who was passing by for another serving himself. It didn't take animal listening skills to hear his children in the other room.

"What is all the commotion?" He looked to April. All he got back was an empty stare. Instantaneously, the two dropped their plates and hurried to the other room.

"Hold up! Wait a minute!" Feeling cornered, she put her hands up, hoping that they obtained the power to push back all the pressure on her. Angel took a couple steps back with each one they took forward. Their body language was stalking, but their faces remained cautious as they advanced towards her slowly like predator animals and she was their prey. Figuring what was their next move, Angel couldn't help but begin trotting backwards in case she needed to run. Bad move.

"Don't let her get away!" Donnie shouted as the clan began to go after her. Donatello and Raphael were the closest towards the retreating girl, hands up and ready to grab.

"Hold her down!" Mona advised them, due to her being in the back of the pack.

"Hold me down?" Angel stopped quickly. In an act of bravery, she spun around to face her chasers. Then, she used her hand as a cuff around her arm and let it slide down both of her forearms abruptly before swooping her hands up and a leg in a "crane-like" position. "A'ight! It's morphin' time!" She hailed. Michelangelo stopped in fear.

"Ah! She's a power ranger!" He screamed. His imagination instructed him to cradle himself in his arms with a foot up to his stomach. After all the TV he has seen, a power ranger was not a force to be reckoned with. Then, the fearful turtle was pushed to the ground. He fell easily underneath his planted foot. The young one squinted his eyes at his bigger brother who pushed him aside and grabbed the running girl. He was gentle to not bruise or harm her arm in anyway. Angel was resistant, but her best efforts couldn't free her as Raphael held both of her wrists in his enlarged hands.

"She ain't no power ranger." Michelangelo lifted himself up. Raphael's mockery did not help. He was a victim of his own imagination after all. Now restrained, Angel's body tried to relax, but she couldn't help it. The mysterious creatures look at her hungrily, or, at least that's what it looked like.

"A-a… APRIL!" She yelped. Sprinting from the other room, Splinter and April arrived on the scene. The rat slid some in the account of how quick he was running and the traction on his shoes. April was less than a second behind him. Her eyes quickly fixed onto the scene to get some understanding of the commotion. The mutants turned around, some looking guiltily and others looking up to no good. When Mona Lisa opened herself up to look at the concerned people, she revealed the small girl in Raphael's hold.

"Angel!" April shouted angrily. Her head lolled to the side. Finally, her help has arrived, but with that tone and that look on her face, it was just more trouble. A guilty smile planted on her face.

"What's up?" She hiccupped, trying to laugh it off. April, however, was not amused.

"This is Angel?" Raphael, pulled her arms back in order to let his head curl over her and see her face from his upside down point of view.

"Mm hm." She did not sound like she wanted to admit it, for her tone was sassy. The raise of her brow and her crossed arms put the icing on the cake. "How did you get here?"

"I followed you."

"How many times are you gonna lure people down here?" Mikey joked, but April was not in the mood.

"It's not her fault!" April spoke loudly for all to her. "I used an app to track her." She vouched for her. The last thing she would want is for them to blame April for her own curiousity. The brunette sighed loudly. Her blue eyes disappeared underneath her colored eyelids and ran a cool hand through her flowing hair.

"I'm so sorry, Master Splinter," She looked down at the rat's beady, black eyes. "I had no idea she was around." She took her eyes off of him and scolded Angel with them. "I thought she was at home."

"It's… I've been askin' about ya'll for a long time." Angel began. She had more to say, but she couldn't find herself to complete her story. After what she had done, it was probably best that she stopped before she dug any deeper.

"Raph, put her down." April asked of him. By now, he could tell the girl no longer had any intentions to run. Nicely, he released her, but it didn't keep him from watching her body language in case his judgement was wrong. She stood there for a second, trying to compose herself.

"April was always on the run, talkin' about how she's gonna hang with her 'special friends'. She and I, we got close too, so I thought we could all chill together." She explained whole-heartedly.

"You think we're…SPECIAL!" The orange clad turtle wanted to burst out in tears as he gazed upon his Angelcakes. His hands closed into one another and were held underneath his chin, pressing into his chest. Fake sobs blurted out from his throat out of appreciation for April's depictions of them.

"She thinks you're special." Raphael broke Mikey's good mood. The young turtle's sobs cut off instantly, followed by a death glare towards the amber eyed turtle.

"I mean, after Mikey saved me, I…" She paused; her eyes glanced around the seemingly small room. "which one is Mikey?"

"The special one." Donatello pointed out. Her eyes hopped from one turtle to another, finally resting onto the one with the baby blue eyes. His scornful look transformed instantly into surprise. His awe was an effect as Angel proceeded to come towards him. When she got close enough, she embraced him into a warm hug. Her arms squeezed around his waist with her face pressed against the side of his body.

"Thanks bro, for saving me from my friend. Or, my ex friend." Her voice came out in muffles.

"Aww! You welcome!" He hugged her back. He was careful to not hug too tightly that he busts one of her vertebrae. "Wait! How'd you know it was me?" The orange banded turtle looked down at her light blue cap. He felt her face remove itself from his side. The light blue cap rolled into a brown face and brown eyes. She smile guiltily.

"I wasn't exactly knocked out." She tried to dance around it. Not catching her drift, Michelangelo's brow raised some. "I played possum." She gave in. The young turtle's face contorted in a way when something burned on one's body, but not so bad that you couldn't handle it. The brows of his head squeezed together along with his lips tightened into a small 'O' that allowed audible air suck into his mouth.

"Gotta watch that now." He noted.

"You want to hang out? With us?" Donatello spoke with much sass and amazement. He almost used the same tone he normally uses when Mikey was being ignorant in his laboratory. Raphael chuckled behind her.

"Trust me, we ain't all fun and games." Angel turned around as she heard his loud footsteps come closer. Mikey looked down as he saw her bump into him slightly. She was trying to retreat as Raphael approached her. So much did he want his brother to back off for scaring her, but he kept silent and served as her rock if he were to get violent for some reason. The approaching turtle's bright appearance quickly faded in all seriousness. "We're ninjas. Always in the dark and fighting the fiercest foes in the city."

"Oh, yeah. A thirteen year old Latina is one of the most feared villains ever." Angel smirked, taking a chance that he wasn't all big and bad as he was cracked up to be. If she was wrong, she had a whole team of other mutants who could stop him; she hoped. The others in the room couldn't help but stifle their laughter. She got him. Yet, Mona had to be the voice of reason. The lizard lady did confuse her for she was the only mutated female and the only one who wasn't a turtle. Angel didn't know exactly what she was, but judging by that nose, she hoped she wasn't some type of snake. In opposite of his actions, she approached gently as she came to Raphael's side. Angel didn't bump into Michelangelo when she came over. Then, she squatted down, bringing herself into eye level.

"We are constant targets. It's not safe for anybody, not even April, to be around us." Her voice was smooth and sincere. In her eyes, she could see the fear and something else in the brown orbs.

"But she's here anyways."

"Angel. Come here." Splinter beckoned her with his little claw. Cautiously, she approached the rat. He was some lesser than her height, but it didn't make him any less intimidating or lose respect for him. When she came to face him, he let out a paw and took her gently by the hand. Angel accepted it. From it, she could feel the subtle tension and worry through them. "You must promise us that you not compromise our identities, our locations, or our existence. We are at your mercy as of now." Whoa! She didn't think that kind of responsibility could be put on her shoulders. The Latina had to process it quickly. Now, she could bring down all five of these mutants just by mentioning them to anybody. She smiled brightly into the rat's face. His hairy eyebrows rose in surprise, waiting for an explaination for her sudden sprightliness.

"No, no you ain't gotta worry about that." Her voice doubled down low and locked.

"Angel." April responded in negativity to her lighthearted response.

"I ain't got no friends anymore!" Her head spun around towards her "big sister". She kept her hands within sensei's, lightly squeezing it with every word. "What makes you think Imma tell about these ones if I might lose 'em?" She berated firecfully as her hands slipped out of the rat's paws. It wasn't out of disrespect, but she wanted to prove that what she was promising was true. April stood there silently. Her arms were crossed around her chest as she rocked her body. Her lip was being chewed on softly as she thought into the ground. Then, she looked up and stared at Angel. With some time, April closed her eyes, a move that excited Angel greatly.

"Lets try this again." Donnie took a step forward and bowed before the Latina. "Hi, I'm Donatello. The smart one." He introduced himself. Then, he reached for her hand that dangled at her side. He raised it ever so gently. His large lips gracefully planted a soft kiss between her fingertips and knuckles. She held her face to her mouth to suppress her giggles. Angel had to admit it, she felt like royalty and she liked it. Donnie smiled, pleased that he gave he a greeting worth remembering.

"You mean the suave?" She complimented. Her hand couldn't hide her smile anymore as she spoke.

"You didn't greet Venus and I like that." Mona Lisa tapped him on the back with her shoulder.

"I was nervous about girls." He shrugged.

"That and you hung us upside down." Raphael added. Mona smiled pleasurably, reminiscing in the little memory. Donatello leaned back down and directed her with a pointed finger towards the rat across from her.

"That is our sensei and father, Master Splinter." She outstretched her hand. Angel put hers on top of hers. The small, brown hand was almost nothing in comparison to her large, green ones. The webbing she felt between her fingers felt really interesting. Mona put her other hand on top.

"I'm Mona Lisa, the fight-breaker." Angel nodded. Her smile grew bigger when she saw no sign of fangs in Mona Lisa's smile. At least she's not a snake.

"Michelangelo, the adorably handsome one." He lent her a fist. Many years of being raised in Harlem prepared her to bump fists twice, one on top of the other and switching roles. Lastly, Raphael was obligated to introduce himself as the rest of the people in the room turned to him to give his welcome. His arms uncrossed and offered her a large hand. She was hesitant at first, but she let his and her hands meet. Instantly, it was engulfed in green as he lightly squeezed it.

"Raphael." He spoke evenly.

"The mean, pig headed jock." Michelangelo smirked at his "accurate" description. Raphael looked up into Michelangelo's eyes. As a precaution, Angel made sure her hand was out of his fist as he rose and towered over her, directing his attention to the turtle behind her.

"What'd you say?" Mikey's smile was sucked in a single huff as he composed himself. His hands came together to form a single fist in front of him, trying to appear dignified.

"I said the tempers that's hot." The words spilled out quickly from his lips. Raphael knew he had said something smart, but with sensei there, he knew better than to become violent, especially if they were to make a third good impression in front of a new female in their lives (Mona's excluded). Angel nodded with her eyes closed. In her head, she knew that she was going to get into it with this family, and it truly excited her.

"Angel Raquel Bridge, yall's new homegirl."


	15. Hey Family

_"Hey family."_ The two voices sang in unison on the other side of the line. Michelangelo put the phone away from his mouth and called.

"Yo! It's Venus and Leo!" Quickly, footsteps of the other mutants came bumbling into the livingroom where Mikey and his newly acquired friend, Angel, were playing an old _Motorcross 2_ game on the Playstation 1.

"Put them on speaker!" Mona Lisa asked as she jumped over the couch. She landed slightly onto Angel. She silently apologized with a single look, but the cool Latina didn't mind. Next, the two brothers huddled in around the orange-cracked phone. Angel leaned herself towards Mona, trying to keep her mouth away from the speaker of the phone.

"Who's Venus and Leo?" She whispered.

"Shh!" Mona spoke softly, hoping that they couldn't hear her on the other side.

 _"Who's that?"_ Shoot!

"Uh," Mona thought fast. Just then, April was trotting into the room. The brunette came just in time to hear Venus ask whose voice it was. The female mutant's hand rotated quickly, urging the brunette to move quickly. "it's April." April rushed herself to the phone. She tried to catch her breath to talk without any suspicion.

"Hey guys!" She almost blurted. April put a hand other her mouth to muffle out her breaths.

 _"Why'd you ask who we were?"_ Venus replied, confused.

"No. I said…" The woman looked around at the faces staring at her nervously, hoping she could find herself a way out of it. "Who's Venus and Leo staying with?" The group nodded in approval. Hopefully, they'll buy it.

 _"We're by ourselves at my old home."_ Venus answered.

"How is it over there?" Mona was most interested. Venus was lucky to see their old home once more, but again, Mona didn't have the heart to revisit. With that, Mona made Venus her informer.

 _"Not sure. The candles had been put away so we can't see anything. So far, it seems like no ones touched it out here."_ She paused. They could hear her take a breath. She must have done so to take in the faint yet familiar smells that created their home. _"It's a great monument to pay their respects."_

 _"And a cool place to crash while we're out here."_ Leonardo added lightheartedly.

"That's my dad's home. Don't crash anything!" Mona played along somewhat.

 _"Yes, m'am."_ He couldn't say so without emitting a chuckle on the line. Instead of further warning him, the lizard lady brushed him off and smiled in the phone with her sister's dorky face on the I.D.

"What are you guys doing?" An older voice was faint on the other end. The clan turned around to their father. Their faces lit up in excitement, which made Splinter feel much better for asking.

"Sensei! It's Leo and Venus!" Mona cried. Without hesitation, that cane moved fast as the older rat descended down and into the room.

"Did they land alright?" He asked as he joined them. Mona Lisa cleared a spot for him on the couch, inbetween her and Angel. The older rat got good and comfy as he, too, huddled around the phone.

 _"It's 10 o'clock right now, at night."_ The sound of his eldest son's voice felt great. For him, it had been too long since he's had his big helper leave to better himself.

"What!?" Even on speaker, Venus had to distance the phone away to calm the amount of soundwaves hitting their ears at the high decibels Michelangelo assaulted them with. The family back home faired no better by cringing and clenching their teeth. Before they could try to do a little assault work to him first, the young one squeezed the phone. "It's barely morning out here!" he wailed in amazement.

"They're a day ahead, Mikey." Donatello explained coolly. He was gently smacking the side of his head where his ears were, trying to get them to pop.

"Oh." He acknowledged as his eyes grew wide. "So, when they come back, they're a day older than they were out here?" Donatello lifted a brow.

"No, they're the same age."

"But, you said their a day-." Before he could go further, Leonardo cut him off abruptly in an authoritive voice.

 _"Mikey, stop talking. We called you guys before we fell asleep."_ Just like that, the young one shut his mouth. Even hundreds or thousands of miles away, Leonardo still had the effect to control his team members as well as his brothers in the best possible way. Michelangelo, with the hand holding the phone sticking out for the others to possibly speak to the two, slouched down with a pouting look. His cheeks puffed out along with a sloping scowl.

"Ya'll just jealous when my genius comes out." He grumbled under his breath. Despite his efforts, the family have able to decipher his words. Raphael was the first to respond. Of course, with an attitude.

"I've seen your genius. Not impressed." The orange band of his head rotated in short mechanic spurts towards the biggest brother. Donatello began to sink down further into his knees. With that and Raphael being "cool, but rude" he knew things were going to get heated. Even Mona shifted her weight around awkwardly, averting her eyes to the ground and off of the phone. She wanted to be no part of this let alone get sucked in.

"What you lookin' at my genius for?" Suddenly, the orange clad turtle rose slowly to his feet. Oh, snap! Now Raphael's standing too. The phone was hanging loosely in Michelangelo's hand, hiding on his side. So bad did Angel want to snatch the phone out of his hand so the rest of the family may continue their talk to their siblings, but she refrained from doing so. As much as she wanted to believe it, she had just met these guys hours ago and as the newbie, it would have been a risky move. Instead, she kept quiet and watched the argument unravel. In a split second, Raphael's eyes looked down at Mikey's lower body, adding to the dramatic effect of his brother's sassy comeback.

"Why's your genius even out?" he spat back with as much attitude.

"Ya me!" It felt like a clap to the face when their sensei sounded off. The two boys, as well as the rest of the bystanders sat or stood up straight at attention. Eyes were wide open and pupils shrunken. "Ten flips, now!" he demanded, his voice hoarse from his previous shouting.

"Sensei-." Raphael began with a whine.

"Now!" His voice clapped again. His biggest son clenched his eyes. His toungue ran over his lips before letting out a huffy breath and proceeding to walk off to the empty corner. On the way, he managed to bump into Michelangelo purposely with his shoulder; earning a follow up one from him. The two boys sashayed over to the empty space of the room and faced the wall. In no time, the two squatted down with heir arms stretched out in front of them. Their arms swung behind them, followed by a jump that helped them flip in a single spiral. From the back, they could hear their voices following shortly after another, counting whine-ily.

Master Splinter leaned to where his eyes could see his children deliver their punishment. The old man sighed, shaking his head. Angel nudged him nicely on his forearm. She brought her head back some as he swung his long nose towards her direction. When he settled on a position to keep his head still, Angel leaned into his little ears.

"I ain't a parent or nuthin' but most people be givin' whoopins. I don't believe in no time-outs. I never acted up cuz I knew I was gonna have a hot butt sooner or later." Her explanation was a bona fide one, but the rat couldn't help but want to laugh. Angel was an honest one. A **very** honest one. My, what a type of trait to have around a house of mischevious teenagers. Hopefully as she grew older, this trait will show past her teenage years.

 _"Who is that?"_ Leonardo asked more quizzically and almost frustrated. April was quick to answer. She leapt to the phone. It almost made her fall over. Thankfully, the mass of bodies hovering around the phone

"It's still me, Leo."

 _"Why are you talking like that?"_

"I, um…" She had to think fast. Anything should do for this case, right? "I was challenged to talk like Michelangelo." She nodded, owning up to her explaination. Then, she licked her lips, devising a plan. "How'm I doin', Mikey?" She called back to him in the best accent she could conjure up. Donatello, who was holding the phone, nearly dropped it and snorted at her bad accent.

As April waited for Mikey to answer back and help validate her lie, the young turtles were beginning to struggle. It's one thing to do multiple, continuous flips, but how their sensei wants it, they had to be single squatted and thrust. One more burned after the next, tiring the boys out. The last number they had called out was seven. Michelangelo's legs were wobbly, wanting to give under his large body. He struggled in his squat, pain contorting his face. Then, a tear left his eye as he used all the might he had to flip him over entirely. Yet, it wasn't enough. When his feet left the floor, his body only turned in a horizontal position. He fell straight on his back. The concrete met shell in a crack-like sound. Good for him that it wasn't enough for a cracked shell, but the vibrations shocked his body. So bad did Raphael want to laugh, but the pain was too much too bare. All her did was feel sorry for the little brat. He lay there, groaning and moaning louder and louder until he quoted the great Patrick Star: "FINLAND!"

His attempt of vulgar words transmitted smoothly into the phone.

" _Alright, guys. Its best Leo and I get to sleep."_ Venus took over the phone, stopping Leonardo's accusations. April internally sighed that she got the phone away from his quizzes.

 _"I've got a big day tomorrow."_

"Good luck, Leo!" Mona Lisa sang into the phone. Her expressions became bright once more.

"Suck up to the teacher!" Donnie joked as he leaned in comfortably into the couch.

 _"Alright. Goodnight, guys!"_

 _"Love you, family!"_ Venus chirped.

"Night!" The entire family sang. In seconds, the phone clicked and the picture of Venus no longer shown on Michelangelo's shell-phone.

The conversation over, the family began to disband from their gathering on the couch. Donnie set the phone aside on the couch beside Angel as he got up to go do what he normally does. Mona Lisa got up as well and turned around to help her sensei scoot off from the deepest part of the cardboard couch. All that was left was Angel after April pushed herself up and followed Mona out. She sat there quietly, fiddling her thumbs and smacking her lips, asking for the attention on her awkwardness.

"Who's Leo and Venus?" She asked, although she didn't anticipate whether or not people heard her. Instead, a large body came from behind the couch. Michelangelo, now done with his torture with the already gone Raphael, plodded around the structure. His feet planted as he turned and pushed himself into the couch. A long sigh escaped his mouth as the relief of sitting settled in.

"Come," he said breathlessly. Angel smiled and handed him his shell-phone. "game with me as I tell you the story of a beautiful turtle wizard and an overbearing big brother."


	16. Lets Get Down to Business

The sun had not needed to shine into the room to wake her early. Excitement kept her feeling woke for all hours much to the help of the hours of sleep prior to their arrival. Slowly, she lay in her old quarters, waiting for the sun to rise and reveal more and more of her old surroundings. Nostalgia took over as she lay smiling in her flat bed on the floor. Her bedroom had been exactly the same. The white walls were painted with modest, pale pink flowers blooming from twisted vines. Things such as her white dresser and light wooded floors were dusted with the forgotten. Since moving, only few things were left behind. Her music box still sat on the dresser; right next to the candles she would light to illuminate her quarters at night. The pictures and frames she had set up or hanging on the ways held a dusty film over them, clouding her adventures of her growing up.

Close by, her bag from which she dropped from last night stayed beside her. The female terrapin unzipped it and reached inside. Venus went fishing for her phone until she felt its odd shape. Her hand brought it towards her face, revealing the time. What showed was that now was a good time to get up than ever. The phone was lightly tossed to the bag, allowing her to use both hands to help her up from the flat mattress. It had been a while since she had remembered to sleep on her stomach. Back in New York, she was able to sleep on her back with pillows supporting her neck in the hammock. Now back in a mattress, she had to use her arm muscles early to get herself up. Nice and easy did she rise and tip toed out of her own room. Last night, he had given Leonardo Mona's room to sleep in. For someone who was raised underground, his night vision could not withstand a pitch black night of the rural country. She heard him stumble and fall some times, in which she would quietly illuminate her hands to see him on the floor or straddling the wall. At some point, the large male found Mona's old, flat mattress and accumulated to its unique design.

With the sun now in the house, Venus able to recall more and more in the home as the simple white walls and honey colored wood floors led to other small rooms the family of three would enjoy. Mona's room wasn't too far, being almost on the other side of the house. It wasn't that Mona Lisa had picked to be so far, but before their arrival, the other rooms were occupied of Chung I's belongings and rooms he had reserved for meditation and magical rituals. Not to mention: his own room which led to the mirror he had watched over all his life.

The paper door seldom made a noise as Venus picked it up and set it next to the doorframe inside Mona Lisa's room. Hers was no different that her own, with the exception of the paintings of traditional women that she would look up to from time to time. Such pictures looked like the ones one would see at a Chinese restaurant, but these were not paper copies. These were hand painted and sold by the village painter; Ones with value to them. The only difference was the hulking figure on the floor. A rough night was apparent. He was turned at an angle in which his head rested on his arms at one corner of the mattress and the rest of his body followed suit. One leg stuck out and pushed his knee into the wood floor and the other one only letting his toes to go rogue.

"Leonardo." Venus called. When he didn't dare to stir, she crawled down beside his head. His cheek squashed into his forearms, causing his mouth to open up in a dorky way on the other side of his face. "Leonardo." She sang again, this time getting a sign of him waking up.

"Go away Anna." He grumbled. The female terrapin scrunched up her face. That's not at all what she was expecting. She tried her hardest to quiet her laughter to hear him continue a conversation with his imagination. "Look, I don't want to build a snowman." Venus couldn't help it anymore. This was too good of a chance to try. She leaned in nearer to his face. Venus tilted her head to the side at almost the same angle as his. She wanted to make sure that she was the first person he saw after she did what she wanted to do.

"Okay, bye." She sang loudly and melodically. Instantly, his eyes shot open from the live response. Just as she had planned, Leonardo's first sight of the morning was a bright smile and sparkling green eyes. "Good morning." She replied sweetly.

"Morning." He greeted, smiling back. She couldn't wake him up any better. Then, she lifted herself off of the dusty floor. Her hands gave her legs and palms a good slapping to get the dirty particles off of her.

"Today's the day." She announced before exited the room to somewhere unknown. Suddenly, Leonardo had a realization. He wasn't in New York. He just woke up in China! Immediately, he risked getting dizzy by jumping out of the mattress and getting himself cleaned up for the day.

It didn't take long for Venus to get ready. The only thing she took off last night was the chains that lined up her skirt and her tennis shoes. One foot after another, she placed them into the whole of chains that her hands were holding open. Every time, the hard part was to keep the skirt from bunching up and going up north with the chains. It was a tight fit to have her hand slip through the hole and push the material down to hide the black spandex shorts she wore underneath them. One piece after another, the skirt began to fall in the right places, which satisfied her greatly. Her shoes were left at the door. Before she went to fetch them, she went to go find Leonardo.

Venus, just as they had to convince her when she first came to the lair, said he was free to roam the house as his own and explore. He found himself somewhere between the back door and the hallway that led to the other rooms. It looked like a living room, looking out to a gorgeous backyard with grass and the stream that ran through the village. He recognized this yard from the visions Venus had gotten a hold of when it explained the reason of Mona's unique mutation. Without the bite of that Giant Chinese Salamander, she would have just been part human- part turtle. It often boggled his mind how different she would have looked. He knew the reason that he and his family looked and acted almost like humans was because April's DNA spread to them. When she picked them up, her DNA crawled into the holes in which they got their shots from, stopping them from being giant, more turtle-y, and mindless monsters. The same had happened to Venus when Mona picked her up when she got that cut from the glass. One could only imagine.

Now, he wasn't looking at the backyard, for that was a previous endeavor. Currently, he was roaming the amounts of pictures that sat on the table and shelves of the unique family. Such pictures mostly featured the sisters growing up together. One was taken in the house. It was a quite random photo for a young Mona was smiling off to the ground and to the side. He couldn't decide how young she must have been but Venus, who looked quite excited with a unicorn stuffed animal in her hand, was at a toddler age. The photo was low quality with little meaning, the warmth was present.

Another fast forwarded to where Venus switched ages with Mona, smiling contently with her eyes closed to the camera in her kimono. Mona, also in a kimono, smiled brightly, looking outside the very window he was looking through earlier. Right beside that one was a photo that barely had a background to work with. Venus, now possibly in her older teens, was mask-less and mimicking the movements of her fans with Miwa. The female terrapin looked quite awkward. Her head was larger than her smaller, skinny body. Her facial features also seemed squished, but that could be that the camera snapped at the wrong time. He thought that Venus probably thanked her personal God immensely for puberty and for looking as gorgeous as she is now. After so many years, Miwa looked no different, practically wearing and looking the same as when he met her last night. The only one missing from this photo was Mona. Leo wasn't sure if this may have been taken before or after the poor girl was raped and gave up her training. Then, he got a sick feeling. This picture could have signified the breaking of the family, gradually growing weaker and weaker in health; the relationship of the sisters beginning to wilt and the health of their father beginning to fade. Just, maybe.

Just before he could begin to feel any more sorrow, she looked to the next photo. It was probably the most recent one taken for her could clearly recognize the two girls. It was a family portrait, done in black and white and incased in a wooden frame. Mona stood in the back, towering over her family in a royal-looking kimono. Her long hair was done up traditionally with tubes of hair bejeweled with cuffs and coming together into a comb. On the corners of her eyes, dark smear marks, more subtle than Miwa's red ones, decorated the ends of her lashes. Beneath her, Venus sat on her right. She wore the kimono she often wore: the light blue one with the split Yin Yang symbol. Without hair, a crooked crown with flowers was placed on her head. The makeup done on her eyes were more extravagant than Mona's. The same color as her sisters, it painted the entire hollows of her eyes, winging up towards where her actual red eye markings ended and all the way down to the beginning of her nose in a point. Sitting beside her was a smaller, older gentleman. It was the first picture he has seen of their deceased father. The old man wore a dark colored yukata with his hands on his knees. The most content of faces painted onto his wrinkled skin.

"You ready?" The voice spooked him for the second time this morning. The large turtle whirled around to see Venus standing in the doorway. Having doing it so quickly, his shell unintentionally knocked the frame over. Once she heard the hard slap, Leo turned around reached for the fallen artifact.

"I am so sorry!" He apologized as he rushed to set the frame back up to its original position. Thankfully, nothing broke off, but he felt no better until it once more stood on its own. Venus walked up to him. Clearly, with his face looking worried and breathing uneasily as he stared at the frame, he was not well. She put and hand on her shoulder.

"It's completely fine." She assured him as she too looked at the frame. It stood still and quiet. The larger male looked too a breathed. "Miwa's waiting for us." She informed. Then, she turned away and headed towards the front of the house. Leonardo had to continue to watch the picture, making sure of its safety. He almost ruined the most recent picture they may have had of their father. What kind of friend would he have been if he had broken it? The haunting thought of it stuck to him as he slowly turned away from the inanimate object and followed Venus out.

"Good morning, Leonardo." The terrapins had to search for the voice that emerged from the back porch. Off to the side, Miwa was bent over the railings of the Wu Kwan as the two intended to enter the building from the back, taking the scenery-filled route.

"Good morning, sensei." Leonardo stopped almost to the building. His hand curled into fist which met with his vertically flat hand in front of him. He gave her a bow and smiled from the excitement of his first day. Miwa enjoyed seeing his enthusiasm and stood up straight.

"You have come prompt." She commented. Leonardo nodded.

"Just ready to learn from you, sensei."

"Very well." Her tongue abruptly became sharp. "Stretch on the floor and call when you are done." She began a half turn into the Wu Kwan, but was interrupted when Leonardo spoke again.

"Already done, sensei." She turned her head around slowly. A taste of her brow wanted to give rise, possibly to criticize.

"Hmm, I see Venus has kept you in line." Her brown eyes met her longest student's. Venus shook her head for she knew that it was not her doing.

"Oh, no. Leonardo had done it on his own terms." She credited. Before walking around the house and giving him the permission to do so, Venus had seen him in their living room as she walked to and fro in the hallways. Miwa nodded lightly in approval, reverting her gave to the prideful student.

"I'm ready to go." He said enthusiastically. His sensei turned the rest of her body with her head. Her brow set back into its original place

"Today's day should be an easy one." She set off in a straightforward manner.

"Because it's my first?" Leonardo asked. His smile would not disappear from his face. In spite of this, his sensei kept a straight one and ignored his question entirely.

"Today, we'll be going to the races." She announced. The male turtle was uneasy inside for he hoped that his bright, shining face was too much. His family always did say he could be over the top. Maybe here, it would tone down a little.

"Who am I racing?" He asked. Just then, the porch began to creak as someone stepped foot on its wooden planks. Of course, with a plastic bag of sugar cookies in his hand was none other than the Ancient One. All three watched him as he waddled in nonchalantly. He did not care that is sounds of digestion were clearly audible in the quiet countryside.

"The Ancient One." Miwa revealed. Never so fast has Leonardo's bright expression face disappear so quickly and become contorted. Trying the gain a better understanding, the current student leaned over to the side to get a better sight of the one he is supposed to run against. The Ancient One was hurling sugar cookies down his throat all while licking his frosted fingers, which was disgusting to watch. Just as he had seen before, the old man was just as wrinkled and frail as he was the day before.

"Would a better candidate apply?" Leonardo straightened himself out as he asked. "No offense, but I think my level of running surpasses him." He explained honestly. Surely, there was someone who may run faster than he can, but an old man couldn't handle his speed.

"You call me slow? Yeah, right monkey boy." The Ancient One gave a second of air to answer before diving his hand back into the bag.

"You will race the Ancient One." Miwa repeated with more sharpness. Clearly, his questioning irked her. The last thing Leo would want was to disrespect his teacher. In order to keep that from happening, he had to accept the fact and resume with his training. "Ready?" She asked. The Ancient One dropped his cookies onto the ground, which wasn't too far for he was a very short man. Only one cookie was halfway out the bag and exposed to the ground, but for someone whose eating habits are that of a slop, he would eat it anyways. In short, choppy steps, he scampered down the steps to get on even ground with Leonardo.

"Oh, you meant now?" The turtle was taken by surprise as the Ancient One faced towards an area of trees that were a good distance away. "I thought we would eat before training."

"Today's will be a short session." Miwa assured him. "To the tree with the red scratch marks on it. Do not come back unless I tell you." She instructed. To help, Venus stood out a short distance away from them. Naturally, the Ancient One would not begin in a track position. Seeing how lightly he was taking this, Leonardo did the same for there was no need to do so much. The female terrapin stood in the space between them, her arm up in the air.

"When I say go." She informed. "On your marks, get set, Go!" And they were off, and when I mean they were off, I mean the Ancient One.

"Whoa!" Leonardo gasped as the rotational velocity of the older man's legs tripled that of Leo's. The male turtle struggled harder to pick up his pace to the Ancient One, who was a good few lengths in front of him. In a matter of time, he met the red marked tree before the turtle could. Leonardo arrived with a pant. On the other hand, the Ancient One looked as if he barely tried. Never had Leonardo see such a feat before. Then, he remembered Miwa and Venus. Surely, they both thought less of him as they watched such a sorry race against an old man. What kind of impressive student like him is beat by someone so frail and full of cookies? He couldn't make out the expressions of their faces, but just seeing them both looking at the end result of the race made him feel just as bad.

"Again!" Miwa shouted with cupped hands. Venus stepped up and raised her arm. With a sigh, Leonardo shook himself to prepare for another race. This time, he had to make it up for such a sorry start. He leaned forward slightly to a point where his elbow could touch his knee. Like before, the Ancient One stood upright and content with himself. On Venus' hand, her hand glowed its blue hue for them to see her from a far distance. Her voice echoed faintly, but they were able to make it out all the way up until her hand fell again.

The two took off in great stride. Leonardo found himself side-by-side by the man, yet he began to fall behind. His tiring out lasted him to lose at the same length as the Ancient One beat him before. His finish brought him to pant. So badly did he want to bend over with his hands to his knees, but he knew his breathing will only mellow out if he kept up with his hands over his head.

"Keep up next time, will you kumquat?" The Ancient One teased for he was continuously filled with sprightliness. How was he doing that? For sure, Leonardo was more than fit than that windbag. As he walked in small circles, he caught eyes with Venus. Her expression was soft, feeling sorry for the suffering turtle. Even she knew that this was a serious blow to his pride. Leo had to cut the gaze in order to not feel any worse than he already did.

"Do you realize why you continually lost to him?" Miwa asked. Leonardo slowly spun to look at her. The disappointment was not present in her eyes, yet she was indifferent as she was before. Leonardo almost stuttered, but kept them to whispers until he could answer her fluently.

"My large size is a disadvantage?" He guessed. Miwa stared.

"Go again." She ordered. "Again." She repeated after he had lost a third time, losing by more lengths.

"I'm as free as any daughter!" The Ancient One taunted as he was running backwards at the same speed as Leonardo. Then, to make it worse, he faced forward and pushed the dirt behind him at an incredible pace. Leo had tried so hard to beat him, but lost a fourth time to an even bigger length. With each race did the racing terrapin's breath become shorter and more desperate.

"Now, do you know why you've lost?" Miwa asked. He found it hard to answer her. It was one of those times where he wanted to keep him eyes clenched when he found them closing.

"The Ancient One is a fast runner, right?" He truly hoped that was the right answer so he wouldn't have to race him again. Miwa could vividly see his struggle to try to understand the lesson. Her expression softened as she explained it to him.

"Before the exercise, you asked for another racer. Why?"

"I thought, I thought that he wouldn't be able to keep up with me. And, that it would be unfair."

"And what happened?"

"He smoked me!" He sad matter-of-factly. Rarely would Leonardo give such an outburst, but it was too obvious not to do so. Besides, he was upset with himself, he could say whatever the heck he wants.

"You did not give your all on the first try. By not, you falsely wore yourself out and even more so as you raced over and over again." She paused to let it sink into his brain, which was trying to transition its focus from breathing to learning. "This is lesson number one: do not let perception overrule you. Anyone and everyone are just as dangerous as you wouldn't believe."

"My fath-," he caught himself. "My last sensei taught me that."

"Then, he is either not as good as you would have made me believe or you are not as good as a student as you want to believe." She criticized, just what he expected her to do earlier in the morning. Then, Miwa turned her body back towards the Wu Kwan. The Ancient One kept to her heels with his cookie bag back in his hands. He knew exactly where her next venture was and he couldn't wait. "That is all for today. Dismissed." She left him there to think about what she had just said. Miwa just dissed him and his father's teachings, but surely she was correct. He was in the big leagues now and he had to get in line. The Shredder himself was properly trained in the same arts and the only way he was able to take him down was a fight 4 v. 1. Individually, he got thrown off a building, twice!

"Hai, sensei." He said quietly after she had gone as he contemplated on his thoughts. Venus was still outside with him, silently watching him think for behind. When he accepted her judgment, she walked up beside him and went up the short flight of steps, implying that he could come inside. Slowly, but surely, she heard the floor boards creak with a second body on them, but they were slow and heavy steps.


	17. It's a Stretch

Across seas at the same time (or a day later), the family of underground mutants were working up a sweat. With almost no normal gym equipment, it amazed the teenagers how many things they could do without the use of proper gym equipment at home. With her hands supporting her over a table top and her legs off of the platform, Mona Lisa was able to accomplish elevated pushups because Michelangelo held her legs over his shoulders. Simultaneously, Mona would go down when Mikey squatted and lifted herself up when he came up. The extra inches in height in respect to the table and her arms provided the elevation, benefiting both with the level of difficulty and extra weight on the other end. Nearby, Donatello was by the wall. Somewhat like Mona, he did a different degree of pushups in which his feet were in the air as he pushed against gravity. He kept near a wall in case his legs were to become off balanced as it got harder and was the safest way to do it without harming his face in any way if he were to fall. Then, there was Raphael. With one half working on arms, he and Mikey wanted to fulfill their leg quota. Doing a lighter type of exercise (since this guy constantly goes hard in his spare time), he had old, raggedy hand weights. Five each were wrapped around his legs with their Velcro as he jump-roped for minutes at a time.

"You got to keep the count Mike." Mona struggled under her breath. With pushups, much like everybody else, it was hard to speak for you were too focused on bringing your body up.

"My bad, 56." He apologized and resumed the count. His quads burned, gritting his teeth which each number said aloud.

"What's good my homies?" A young voice sounded off. Raphael served as the identifier so the rest of the family may presume their workouts. The rope he twirled stopped before him, dragging itself towards his feet.

"'Sup Angel." His voice met her once the light of the room hit her bright expression. Subconsciously assured, the three working out sped up their workout now that there was no need to be alarmed. "You're quick to come back." Just as she walked into the room, the great smell of hard work hit her nose like a truck. To keep from being rude, Angel did not plug her nose or complain. Instead, she kept it to herself, taking fewer breaths to keep the smell of sweat from going into her nose more than it needs to.

"Like I got somethin' better to do." She laughed a little. "Pumpin' iron up in her', huh?" She observed the sweaty troupe. Their foreheads shone, but with the lack of actual clothing, only Mona's hard work shown through a dark pink that soaked in various parts of her clothes. Both she and Mikey kept their eyes clenched, letting their hot breaths out with every rep.

"Wanna hop in?" Raphael chuckled, noticing the slight look of worry on the Latina's face as she observed the two.

"Yeah!" She shouted enthusiastically.

Without hesitation, Angel dropped to the ground with her stomach to the ground. The toes of her converse pressed into the concrete as her hands stretched out from either side. Her palms pressed into the ground. Then, she began to push herself up in slow, struggling counts. After 10, she flopped onto the floor. She let the cool concrete press against her face, letting Raphael laugh at her efforts. "Okay, I'm done." She groaned. Donatello, done with his sets, bent his legs forward until him toes touched the ground in front of him. Then, he gave himself one last push to lift his torso up and stand up straight. In fears of falling over from the slight dizziness he was sure to endeavor, he leaned onto the wall for his own safety.

"I thought you said you could hang with us. This is one of those things we do." He teased. Angel threw a hand at him, which quickly flopped back onto the ground.

"I am a little, developing girl. Don't push me."

The round of sarcasm and joking stopped abruptly as a tearing sound shut them all down. Mona stopped, in which Mikey stopped what he was doing too. They saw her looking down over by her left shoulder. When she looked, her face of pain turned into annoyance. They quietly waited for an answer.

"It ripped." She stated plainly. Unexpectedly, Michelangelo's face contorted grotesquely. His face shook long and slow, letting some feature change and move as he did.

"Dude, seriously? I had my mouth open and everything!" He whined. The lizard lady shot a glare at him until rolling her eyes at his ignorance.

"Lower me down." She demanded. Slowly realizing that he had taken her words out of context, the orange clad terrapin squatted down one last time. Mona slowly walked backwards on her hands to allow her feet to fall odd his shoulder correctly when he would lower them. Once he was able to sit on his heels, he took Mona's legs off of his shoulders and gently lowered them until they reached the ground. It had been a while since her feet felt the floor and it took some time to getting used to. Mikey stepped back as she looked back to her left shoulder. Mona raised her left arm and looked down. "That's just nice." She commented sarcastically. Seeing that the other were curious, she turned to let them see. Indeed, the tearing sound came from the action when the fabric of her wardrobe ripped in a straight line from the top of her armpit and continuing down to some place inside her corset. Angel walked up to her. She put a fist up to her mouth as she looked at the sweat stained tear.

"Got too strong that that dress couldn't handle it." Only a few strings held onto dear life while the rest gave up, exposing her rich green skin.

"You're telling me." Mona sighed. "Right when we got done."

"Ooo! Girl!" Angel gasped. "What you doing with this on all the time?" She had just noticed how stuffed up Mona Lisa looked with her wardrobe on. The day before, she was too focused to get to know them to realize how stuffed like a chicken she was.

"I really don't have anything else to train in." She admitted. "Of course, I have sweats, but I'd hate to get them burned up or ripped out in the field."

"C'mon. You can buy sweats anywhere." Angel agged on. Mona Lisa shrugged.

"I guess it holds some value to me."

"Can I ask why?" Angel leaned forward with a new found curiosity. Mona Lisa smiled as she recalled how she had obtained it.

"My dad gave it to me. He had the women of my village make it specifically for my own body modifications."

"That ain't workin' now? Huh?" She gave her a once over, poking fun. Mona giggled, holding a hand over her lips.

"Yeah."

"Where's your dad at?" The Latina asked. In a split second, the boy's expressions went from light to worry. Yet, Mona gave her a straightforward answer.

"He died almost a year ago." She replied. Angel lifted her hands up in surrender as she took a step back.

"Say no more. Mine's gone too." She admitted as well. Then, she clapped her hands, snapping everybody out of their funk. "Now, are you done with all a" she wiggled her pointer finger, implying about their workout "… dis?" Mona and the boys looked around and nodded. They had a good couple hours before her arrival.

"Pretty much." Mona replied.

"Yep." Donnie nodded.

"Cool." Angel's face brightened back up. "Now, imma need you to strip, change, and hand them tight things to me." She listed each thing with a count of her fingers.

"What?"

"You and I are gonna redesign this."

"Yeah?" Mona spoke enthusiastically and excitably.

"And imma take it to my granma and see what we can do with it." The Latina added.

"Really?! Yes! Thank you, Angel!" She wanted to hug her so bad, but when she did, the girl took a step back. Quickly, Mona realized how moist her clothes were and refrained from doing so. "You're the best!"

"I know!" Angel blew on her nails and giggled. Then, she grasped Mona's webbed hand like an excited teenager would when she wanted her best friend to go do something exciting. "Now, come on!"


	18. You Okay?

She couldn't recall the last time she had a meal at Miwa's home. Sweet nostalgia filled the empty chairs of those of the past who would join them in their meals. Family, friends, and guests would come over and hold colorful conversations that would last all night. As a child, Venus could not remember the topics of any of them. The only thing she could truly remember was the taste on her tongue as it was reintroduced to Miwa's amazing cooking abilities. Back home, the boys had introduced her and her sister to the typical breakfast foods that a healthy family would consume: turkey bacon, egg whites, and breakfast steaks with oatmeal. Here, the female turtle felt a tinge of normalcy as she picked up a large soup spoon that contained the fragrant broth to her mouth. So long has it been that she had eaten wontons for breakfast. Back in America, it was a lunch or dinner type of dish, but here, she was able to enjoy it in the morning. The characteristic of it being leftovers was out of the question.

The table was small, but adequate to satisfy the four eating together.

"I made much more this morning for I do not know your eating habits." Miwa broke the quiet as she looked up from her small bowl. In her hands, hr marble chopsticks formed as X after serving her a deal of the large wontons. Her comment was towards Leonardo. Although the table was quiet, he was quiet in his eating habits. Everyone else consumed it as normal, but he had picked up a slower pace. On his right, the Ancient One had his bowl up to his face. His obnoxious slurps, disgusted the latter of the table, but it was something they had to ignore. When he had his fill, he lowered the china and wiped his mouth with him sleeve in exchange for the napkin beside him.

"If you are anything like Mei, there's probably five pounds of wontons in there." He chortled. Venus' cheeks turned into a shade of rouge. She knew she was a big eater, but what was a girl to do? She's abnormally tall, big, and athletic. Her metabolism was off the charts. On her right, she looked to see if another was possibly lightening up. Instead, her slight smile faded from the lack of his.

The bright turtle was abnormally downtrodden. As she remembered, he didn't take so many bites out of his food. Everyone in the house was a big eater, so what would make Leonardo not be able to make the wontons disappear. In the few tastes, he did not show any sign of remorse or disgust in the food. That and he liked wontons. Venus had a hunch as to why he was so down, but was too afraid to address it. He sat back in his chair (they had to turn the chairs to the side in respect to their shells touching the backs of them). His chopsticks were slowly rotated between his two fingers. In such a traditional setting, he refrained from letting his elbow lean on the table. Venus was not the only one noticing his droopy appearance. From the corner of her eye, Miwa silently watched his actions. She, too, could not help that he was acting awkwardly and unnaturally. As she watched him, it built up her assertions and to actually ask what was wrong.

"Are you content, Leonardo?" She tried to make it as collected as possible. She heard him sigh lightly. It probably would have been more prominent but he wouldn't want to come across as rude.

"Hai, sensei." He failed to look at her in the eye. From his tone, he was indeed troubled by something. Her sharp eyes looked back down into her bowl. Her pair of chopsticks gracefully caught a wonton.

"You do not convince me." She spoke as a mother who knew that her child was not telling the whole truth. Leonardo looked up to see her eat the wonton. Once in her mouth, she looked back up at him with a critical eye, agging him on to tell his story.

"I don't know." The male turtle spoke so low that his throat vibrated.

"You're really out of it." Venus chimed in honestly. Leonardo shrugged.

"I'm just exhausted." He confessed, swirling his warm soup around with his spoon.

"I wonder why." The Ancient One smirked slyly. He failed to ignore Miwa's disapproving looks towards his comment. The elderly man was such a smart Alec, but she couldn't help but respect the old man.

"You should get out." She advised, moving on. Leonardo looked up. Anxiety inspired expressions were apparent in his crystal blue eyes. "Go outside, I mean." She clarified. The male terrapin sat easier when she completed her statement. He continued to listen. "You left home, jumped out of a plane, sleep and then raced in the morning. You need to get outside and spend some time of leisure." She explained.

"Usually when my family and I relax, we just stay in bed all day." Miwa shook her head. Then, she stood up and took her bowl with the spoon in it off of the table.

"Trust me, nature will refresh you. Someone from New York would enjoy such a thing." She traveled over to the Ancient One's space. When she came over his shoulder, his bowl was sparkly clean with the exception of vegetable traces along its walls. The old man lay back into his chair and closed his eyes, giving his compliments to the chef as he dreamed and gently rubbed his full stomach. Miwa smiled contently and took the empty bowl from him. "Most of our sessions would last the day, which begins tomorrow. Today, you get out."

"You haven't announced your arrival to the people, have you Venus?" The Ancient One asked from his dreams. He couldn't see it, but the anticipated silence meant that she was shaking her head.

"No." She looked to her companion for credibility. "We saw Mu on the way, but she may have spread the word." She smiled. Her elderly friend was quiet on the outside, but was a real chatterbox.

"You'd think the sudden appearance of two mutants would be news enough." Leonardo muttered. The smile from her face slowly died down from his emotions. Miwa attempted to save the day as she thought of things they could do.

"Today's a good day. What do you say to spending some time at the water hole?" she suggested. That instantly brought the smile back to the female terrapin's face. It was so much bigger that it almost brought her out of her chair. On the other hand, Leo stayed sulking.

"I guess."

"Come on!" Venus exclaimed. "It'll be fun with the quiet." She tried to convince him.

"With the exception of the children there." The Ancient One added to eliminate any misconception. Instead, Venus wanted to go even more.

"They are wonderful children." She added. Her arms were widespread and directed on the table towards Leonardo. The male turtle sat up a little closer, leaning closer to the table as he noticed how close her hands were to his arm. "Come with me? Please?" she begged with her eyes clenched and her teeth bared. Miwa smiled at how adorable her old student was acting at such a mature age. The Japanese woman came over to Leonardo's side and outstretched a hand to take his bowl. Before she could try, he was quick to have a hand on the side of the bowl and a spoon inside of it, indicating that he was still working on it. Seeing this, Miwa withdrew her hand and smiled warmly. Her plan had worked, especially now that he was showing more interest in eating.

"When are we going?"

The waterhole was not as he suspected. If there was any way he could define a water hole in New York, it would be a duck-poop filled pond in a park or a trashed canal with plastic bottles impersonating boats. This one was different. It appeared clean, as in he could see the bottom of it until it goes down a couple feet. The area surrounding it as well was breath taking. The hole was not a mile away from the village, yet it had a presence of virginity in the landscape. Only a few feet of sand bordered the water while the rest was covered in green grasses.

In fears of losing it, Venus advised to leave their masks at home. Too many times would they fall victim to the tumbling winds or a careless child. Leaving ones mask behind was uncomfortable to a certain terrapin, but in a different setting, he would have to adapt to getting used to it. Besides, if it was safe for Venus, it was safe for him. For the swim, both Venus and Leonardo left their accessories behind. Not a belt or strap was left on either body. They paraded around the town, cloaking their bodies in their long coats and silk robes. The heat seeking Leonardo's body seeped through the material, causing his body to work up a quick sweat. Granted, he could take it off, but for his own comfort, he kept it on in hopes that the water will be worth it. Underneath, he had a pair of dark brown board shorts with a pair of small orange and ding yellow stripes on the legs that he had after Venus encouraged him to bring them. Before they left, she mentioned the water hole and possibly having to train in the water. Better to be safe than sorry. For Venus, he knew it was her usual swimsuit. Back home, she and Mona would be in the hot tub together with swimsuits on for their own comfort and to allow the guys in if needed be. The female turtle's was of unique design. It was a one piece suit, covered in the patterns and colors of a bright watermelon with the back of it cut out right to the bottom of her shell to let it reach out of her suit made for humans. But right now, she kept in concealed under the cooling of her silk robe.

They turned off the dirt road, feeling the transition of hard dirt and soft grass between their bare toes. As they got closer to the water, Venus untied her robe and slipped it off of her shoulders. She gently placed the silk garment onto a large boulder that basked in the sunlight. Leonardo took idle steps forward, still thinking about the results of his efforts only hours ago.

How could he do this? He failed his first lesson with an actual martial arts master and now he's being rewarded by taking the rest of the day off? What's the ideology there? Master Splinter would keep him in for hours at a time until he gets remotely good at whatever he was trying to learn. Must not be the correct to train someone in Martial arts if Miwa was treating him like this. He became so entranced in his thoughts; he did not see Venus trying to get his attention.

For a moment's time, she had tip toed into the water. Although hot out in the air, the sudden cold of the water needed to be eased on her before she could dive right in. More and more of her legs were engulfed in the water as she walked out to it. Her arms kept over the water, looking as if she was trying to keep her balance while walking in a danger zone. Ripples appeared as her body parted the water out, and then created bigger waves when she turned around. On the shore, Leonardo was looking out into the trees, zoned out. She lifted one of her hands a little higher and waved it. He did not notice. Then, she waved it more prominently. He was snapped out of it when he noticed the fiercely moving flash of green in the corner of his eye. His blue eyes looked down to the mutant thigh deep in the water.

"You okay?" She asked, lightly concerned. Leonardo shook the thoughts out of his head. He, too, untied the knot around his waist and slipped his hot jacket off. The hot, khaki colored heat generator was placed on the other face of the bolder that Venus placed her own. Just as that who done it before him, he took on the water slowly, letting the temperature change ease onto him. The sand beneath him sifted as he walked out, sending whirls of dirt to flurry between his toes. The water slowly began to rise, chilling up to his legs until they got used to their cold touch.

"Mona and I would always come down here." She began before he reached her. Her pointer finger grazed the surface of the water, playing with the subtle ripples. "Chung I would always make the trip to tell us that it's time to get home. Sometimes we'll swim and forget that the sun had already set." She giggled some. "I guess one would say it's in our blood." She joked, hoping Leo would find it funny as well and lighten up. Yet, her efforts meant nothing after he gave her such an unconvincing little chuckle.

Suddenly, thy heard loud, choppy footsteps stomp into the grass. The two terrapins turned when a small voice called the name of the female turtle. Black and brown wisps of hair moved up and down in waves as a herd of happy children charged to the bank. So much for silence, Leonardo thought, but Venus was more than thrilled for the added noise.

"Mei Pei Chi!" They called again. The biggest smile painted onto her bare, turtle face. The children came closer and closer as she walked over to the shore to greet them. Their little smiles nearly shut their eyes. Finally, the two clans met and embraced the turtle in the best of their hugs. Venus took them all into her arms when she got down on her knees to reach them.

"(We heard you have come back from America!)." One of them said.

"(Kids! I missed you all!)" One of her hands went through the hair of a select few.

"(You were gone for a really long time!)" Another one commented.

"(I know.)" She said sadly. The children in the back of the hug began to back off, sending the others off of it too in small, short waves. Venus stayed on her knees. She knew they liked it when she did for they were able to see her face to face and not look up so high. A small girl with medium length hair began to bounce up and down repeatedly.

"(Are you staying here?)" She sang excitably. Immediately, the children had a rush of excitement, hoping for the answer as well.

"(Afraid not. I am here with my American friend.)" Venus turned and pointed to the watching Leonardo. Her three-fingered hand ushered him to come over. Honestly, Leo did not feel like he wanted to deal with youngsters, but he set his own feelings aside to meet these important individuals. A shocking awe from the silenced children made him feel as if his presence was depressing enough. Venus was already a large figure to them, but once they saw Leonardo walk out of the water with large stature, musculature, and the water dripping from his body, he was something unbelievable. They stood there for a moment, mouths agape as he came to Venus' side. He remained standing, not feeling the need to stoop to their level. They knew Venus anyways, not him.

"(Wow! He's really cool!)" The child that asked screeched. Leo didn't know what she said, but after the nodding of heads from the other children and the nodding smile from Venus, it must have been something good. Then one of the older children walked up to Mei. His chubby little hands pointed up to the sky. The female terrapin smiled and nodded.

She reached out to pick up the child with her hands just underneath his armpit. From the joy on his face, he enjoyed the rise up to six feet in her arms as she rose with him. Now fully extended, Venus adjusted him to where he rode on the side of her hip.

"Mei? Is him you husband?" He asked in English. His eyes dazzled with curiosity as he sharply pointed at the baffled Leonardo. Venus, though surprised, kept it to a minimum as to not make the child feel bad for asking such a question. Instead, she shyly shook her head.

"No, I am too young for marriage." She explained. Feeling some explanation was needed, she turned to Leonardo with the child in her arms. "This is Jun. He's currently learning English." She introduced. The boy looked into Leonardo's soul with a blank stare.

"But you will be marry soon, right?" His great questions pursued as he looked back at his turtle friend.

"Afraid not."

"Why not?" His head tilted to the side. His cheeks squished back into his face as he let his head rest on his shoulder. "Him looks like you." Now Venus' answer meant everything to both Jun and Leonardo. How was she going to handle this?

"Just because someone looks the same doesn't mean you should like someone in that way." She answered. Although she completely avoided the type of answer he wanted to hear, it was vague enough to give him more hope.

"So, when I grow I marry you?" A chubby finger was placed on the side underneath his chin. The female turtle couldn't help but giggle at his cuteness.

"Sure." She agreed with a warm smile. Jun was so happy when she agreed, but it was short lived. He quickly remembered Leo and turned to scowl at him.

"Stay away from mine wife." He stated aggressively. The mutant turtle male put his hands up in surrender and stepped back.

"She's all yours. You have a great woman on your hands." He commented. Jun's look of evil transformed into joy now that he knew he had an awesome wife when he was old enough. The female terrapin laughed at his joy and looked to Leo. A lime green eye winked at him for playing along with the child. Leonardo sighed internally now that his spirits have been lifted by this quizzical little boy.

"I know." Jun spoke under his joy.

"Mei! Mei! (Can you watch Xue for a little while so we can play?)" A little girl caught her attention. In her hands was a baby, not too young to be a newborn, but possibly a year old. Suddenly, Venus' mouth went agape. Then, she slowly squatted down to put down Jun in exchange for the baby that the little girl tried to hand off to her.

"Ah! (Xue! Come here.)" Her voice got higher pitched with each sentence. Gently, the girl handed off her sister to her trusted friend. Once Venus got her large hands under the baby's arms, the little girl let her go. Venus slowly rose with the baby staring back at her. The child looked surprised, but not scared enough to cry as the female mutant smiled at her. "(Oh, I remember when you were in mommy's tummy, Yes I did!)"

"(Come on guys! Let's play Attack on the ocean!)" Jun suggested. Soon, all of the children present sent for the waters, ready to splash and scream in their fantasy game.

"Leonardo, look at her little face!" She exclaimed, but not too loud to alarm the child. The male terrapin looked over by Venus' side idly. He did all in his power to make sure the infant would not be frightened by his appearance. As he got a good look of the child, it looked no different at him than it did towards Venus.

"Hey cutie!" He cooed as he smiled at her. The baby let the corners of its mouth curl some into a smile in a repeated fashion. She must have been unsure whether or not it was a good time to smile. With the urge to do so, Leonardo lent a finger to the child that was now fixated to lie in Venus' arm. As softly as he could, his large finger took up the surface of her stomach as he brushed it along. The soft tickles made her smile and squirm. Even a spitty giggle was thrown in for extra measures. Soon, all three giggled softly at the small child's laughter.

"Her name's Xue. Her mother Liling was five months pregnant when we left." Venus used a single finger and her thumb to grasp the small baby's hand. Xue's palm could barely handle her large thumb as the baby struggled to latch onto it. "You have dazzling blue eyes." He heard her whisper. The male terrapin was shocked that he had to look at the female. Instead of meeting her lime eyes, they were already fixated on the baby. They were so close that he had thought she was talking about him. With further investigation, he noticed that Xue had unusually blue eyes.

"She kind of looks like the girl from _Memoirs of a Geisha_." Leonardo stated with a loose interpretation. Venus chuckled some.

"Surely your fate will not be as dramatic." She spoke to her in baby talk. "Want to go in the water Xue? Yeah?" Venus nodded. The child seldom made any distinction whether or not she wanted to go in the water, let alone understand what Venus had said. Without a response, Venus took it as a 'yes' as she strapped the child to her side and walked back into the water.

She went as far out to where the baby could touch the water if it wanted to. The child was removed from the female terrapin's arm. She was positioned back to where she was held when Venus and the girl's sister made the exchange. Wanting to be near both of the girls, Leonardo walked out to where they were. The child was lowered into the water with only her feet experiencing it. Surprisingly, the child showed no change in emotion and let her feet dangle. To take it a step further, Venus lowered her even more until the bottom of her chest was submerged. At first, Xue didn't know what to think but stare into her dark reflection. In a fit of joy, her hand struck the water. She did not know that in doing so that the water would strike back. This phenomenon was so incredible that she had to do it multiple times. Again, her spitty giggles returned as the water splashed onto her face and the bottom of Venus'. Leonardo came over just in time to chime in on the laughter of the two girls.

"What's that Xue?" Venus hunched over to put her ear next to the child. She nodded her head, and then made eye contact with Leo. "You want Uncle Leonardo?" She clarified with the most innocent face. Leo tried to back away, but it was too late. "Oh, here he is." She lifted Xue out of the water and forced her onto him. With Venus nearly dropping her onto him (she had it under control, don't panic guys), Leo couldn't help but catch the baby.

"Oh, oh, yeah." He muttered as he tried to make her more comfortable. "Thanks Aunt Venus." His sarcasm was met by an overly innocent smile and internal sigh as she viewed the adorable couple of the fumbling mutant and the brave baby. So, this is what it felt like. Never had Leonardo held a baby before and thought he never would. It scared the heck out of him. What if he hurts her or he's doing it wrong? TV doesn't always depict things correctly and that didn't sit too easily. Children were also depicted as such fragile beings that he didn't feel comfortable enough to hold such china. Despite his fears, Xue felt undeniably safe in his arms. She did not wail in pain or squirm to find a comfortable position. She simply lay there and stared back up at him with her uniquely blue eyes. Suddenly, she began to move. Fright overcame Leonardo for he knew not what to do. Seeing his internal struggle to understand, Venus guided the baby's back and pressed her gently to Leonardo's body. She then moved Leo's hand underneath the baby and positioned her to where she sat up in his arm. Amazingly, Xue stopped her desperate squirming.

"She wants to be closer to you." Venus explained. Just as she said, the baby reached up to touch him. Her peachy soft skin grazed the skin from his chest and to his plastron, possibly trying to figure out why his skin changed into different textures.

"Hey, you're not so scared of me aren't you?" He gave her a toothy grin. The female terrapin just could hold in how adorable it was to see such a tiny baby playing with a large creature. Xue explored more and more with her hands as they reached up to his chin, which was something her hand barely covered. She reached up further, up until her small grasp grabbed his lower lip. Her tiny fingers continued to grab his mouth in denial to Leonardo's frequent brushing away. She reached to grab the corners of his mouth after his lip was labeled 'untouchable', and then proceeded to go into his mouth. "Yeah, okay," he grabbed her tiny hand. Her little palms were secure between his hand and thumb. "We don't put hands in other people's mouths." He said firmly for a baby to understand. She discontinued her actions, but soon the little smart Alec began to pat his face with the tips of her fingers dabbled in some of the mutant turtle's saliva. "Yeah, okay," His head shied away as he pulled her away from him with full extension of his arms. "I think its time for Aunt Venus to take her back." Xue repeated patted his large hands.

"Give me back my baby." Venus asked with outstretched arms. Gladly, Leo turned around to hand the baby back to her. Xue's behavior between the two was definitely distinctive. Leonardo's fear was something she could use to override his authority. In the meantime, Venus' assurance and confidence meant her word was no joke. To some extent, Leonardo was jealous that the baby acted well around the female figure. He figured it was some type of female intuition or a "mother's touch" type of thing.

Venus held the baby in a position where she was pressed straight up against her body. Slowly, the female terrapin leaned back with the baby following her down. She rolled onto her back. Baby Xue was maneuvered to sit just below her chest. The buoyancy of her turtle shell kept her afloat some, letting the water just tickle the baby's legs as Venus began to kick underneath the water. She served as the child's boat as she took her for a ride in the freshwater. Xue began to scream words that were not words, but they clearly expressed happiness. Leonardo sank down quickly and rose just to get his shoulders wet as he watched the two motor around him.

Both just seemed so happy yet did so little. They were just in the water. No pool toys or music played as they enjoyed eachother's company. It seemed just so simple yet the scenario was far from it. Neither one was judgmental about one's appearance and happiness pursued with the existence of the two species living together in harmony. This was probably why Venus enjoyed life so much. She grew up in a judgmental zone that both accepted her and accepted them. If only the rest of the world was like this. And so, he gazed on. He enjoyed watching them so much that he forgot why he was so down this morning. Leo was too focused on watching a beautiful girl smiling and the laughter of an adorable baby girl.


	19. There's Been a Development

"Mistress Karai." He was finally able to find her as he caught her in the hallway of the underground estate. His steps were shuffling, holding his clipboard loosely in his hand, hanging by his side. Hearing both his voice and rushed steps, the new commander turned around hastily.

"Speak, Stockman." She nearly barked. The scientist caught up to her, making his steps choppier to slow himself down before her.

"There has been a development." He huffed.

"Our silent partner is making progress I assume?" He shook his head fast.

"Out of the ballpark." For some reason, Karai saw a slight change in his posture. Stockman was incredibly tall, but never had he spoken to Karai with a hunkered down back. "I mean to speak with you about Bebop and Rocksteady." He spoke quietly, possibly in fear that some rogue ear may hear him. Instead of wanting to inquire more about the development, Karai shook her head and turned the other way.

"I have no use to learning what they have done wrong this time." She sent her voice back as she continued to walk to her next destination. Her steps were fierce down the hall, but not so that Stockman would give up so easily.

"It's nothing of the sorts." He caught up to her once more. Although annoyed, Karai stopped to hear what he had to say. The scientist trotted ahead of her and turned to face the commander. She stood ready to listen. "The groups you have put them under command have begun to see some behavioral changes over the course of time." He explained.

"They are learning to be leaders; it is expected for change in their disturbing personalities. If they do not like being put under serious command no longer, they could always come to me, personally."

"But, it is not for the better." His arms shuffled around to bring up his clipboard to his face. His index and thumb gripped the side of his glasses, lifting them up before he began to read off the report. "Bebop was nearly caught by walking in broad daylight. His troop claimed that he said that there was a bell calling his name. As for Rocksteady, he shot four crates of bullets because he had a muscle spasm. Something is not right with them."

"They are testing us, I am sure." How much she wanted to bring them in and discipline them. Even as grown men, they acted as twisted children who could use a little check from her hand.

"As much as I wish I could say that is true, we have also noticed how unresponsive and empty minded Tokah and Rahzar are." He could feel her stony eyes judging him, asking how he could not have missed such a dominant feature of the underdeveloped mutants. He looked up to clarify. "I mean, even more so."

Karai gave herself a moment to think. Clearly, if a man as respectable as Stockman were to bring up such an issue, it must be more than meets the eye.

"Relieve the four of them of their duties until you can configure what is wrong with them." She instructed.

"Yes, Mistress." Stockman nodded as hastily as his steps were earlier. Remembering that she was on a mission of her own, the scientist made a quick getaway to put her plans into action so she may presume her previous engagement.

She rose from the underground laboratory by using the steps that led in the mansion above it. Her brother was out with his own troops moving ammunitions with the mutants who were now being pulled from duty. In such an empty house, the clicks of her boots up the staircase gave off a single echo. Her pace remained slow and steady as she hit the second floor. Karai had made her travels to a room with a closed door. She opened it slowly to not give any alarm.

The room was large for it was the bedroom of her brother. Still, the caution tape around it and much of the house had not been removed, but they had no interest in taking it down. Today, the room no longer serves her pathetic brother but for one who was much higher in importance than he. Karai approached the regal bed. A person lay underneath the sheets, rising and falling with every breath. The woman took to the chair at the bedside. The cushions of the seat squealed slightly when she descended upon it. Beside her, the iconic armor of her father stood vigilant over the bed. "There is no measly distraction that will stop our plans." She spoke into the quiet. From the lack of response, she stretched her hand out to the person in bed. Her nails and fingertips gently massaged the dark head of the figure. "Isn't that right, father?" she asked. With no words, he was able to nod some. The amount of increasing responsiveness proved that he was slowly becoming well, yet he was still unable to speak or open his eyes. Karai sat there beside him, continuing to massage his head that was growing black hairs around his scalp. The room remained quiet with the exception of the people's breaths and an eerie noise that could not be explained.


	20. You Understand That

"SQUAD!" Angel's lovely voice made every being underground jump out of their spot.

"UH OH! Here comes a loud mouth." Raphael muttered outstretched on the couch with Michelangelo sitting at the end of his feet. He was too entranced with a Wii remote and nunchuck in his hand trying to clear a Boss level on _Sonic Unleashed_. The Chicana wobbled up towards the couch her friends were trying to block out her voice. In her hands was a small, enclosed cardboard box.

"You know you love it when I visit Raphael." She sang sweetly with half lidded eyes at the end where his head lay. The position forced him to look up at the smiling girl batting her eyes so innocently.

"Love is a strong word. More like, I tolerate you better than Mikey." He explained. Soon following, Michelangelo took the time to cease a safe time to elbow him in the foot without costing him anything in his game. Raphael returned the favor with a quick jolt of his foot impacting his arm and move his character out of position. Luckily, he was able to regain his position and resume his game unharmed.

"That's probably the nicest thing you've ever said to me." She spoke so brightly, setting her box by her feet.

"You're welcome." He looked up to her with a modest grin. "What brings you underground, besides boredom?" Angel let her toe tap the side of the box.

"I got Mona's stuff." She explained easily.

"Mona! Angel has your stuff!" Mikey shouted out to his sister. It didn't take too long for the lizard lady to emerge from the shadows in which she was probably in her bedroom. She didn't know what Mikey said except that she should probably come to the room they were in. Once she caught sight of Angel and her smile, she knew exactly what she was here for.

Mona trotted down into the living room, full of excitement.

"What did she say? Is she going to do it?" Her questions came out like lightening as she advanced closer and closer to the bracing Chicana. When Mona approached her without bumbling into her, Angel thought it safe to bend over and open the box.

"Granma said she wanted us to try to make it before she does because she's been busy for a while." With the flaps curled out and opening the items into the air, Angel picked up Mona's old article of clothing. After some searching, Angel showed her the fine stitching her abuela had done. Mona took her dressings into her hand and looked further into the stitching. She used a thread so similar to the dress' original color that it would take the keenest of eyes to even notice it. Next, Angel took out a piece of paper that was settled underneath the pouch of needles and thread she brought with her. She showed her the design she and her granma were able to come up with along with some of Mona's suggestions. It was a modest drawing, yet easy to understand the concept. The lizard lady smiled brightly obviously excited to get the project started.

"No problem."

"Fo' real?" Angel asked with a raised brow. Mona nodded confidently.

"Yeah. I've seen the women of my village sew before." She walked in front of the couch, much to Michelangelo's dismay. She didn't mean to, but she wanted to pull up a sushi stool for her and Angel to sit on as they worked. Each time she crossed his vision, his head dodged to either side of her body to keep his eyes glued on the screen. After a second trip, she had both of the stools at the end of the living room table so Mikey wouldn't mind them. Raphael, on the other hand, was obstructed from the view of the TV, but he didn't mind so much for he wasn't really intrigued in Michelangelo's performance anyhow. Lately, he didn't seem to mind much of anything because he was too bored to care. His aggression towards anybody was on a lower level, as if anything they wanted to bug him with didn't bug him at all.

Mona laid her dress on the cardboard table. Her shins pressed along its edge as she stayed close to it. Angel grabbed the cardboard box and placed in too on the table. "It doesn't seem too hard." She commented as she overlooked her setup.

"Where are you from, Mona?" Angel began to empty the box, revealing the small needles in a little tomato pin cushion followed by a tape measure, pink thread, and a marking pencil.

"My sister and I are from China." The lizard lady couldn't help but smile in Angel's interest as she overlooked the costume design once more.

"Really? And ya'll didn't get eaten?" Mona put down the paper and smirked. At least was being honest instead of trying to be funny and stereotypical.

"I was a human child before I looked like this." She implied her situation, earning a smile from the girl.

"And your sister?"

"A turtle."

"What did you guys do over there?"

"Well, we live somewhere so secluded that we were able to roam the village with no alarm after we were rescued. My father saved me and my sister from the same disaster they survived. We were saved by an old Chinese man and they were saved by April."

"They got the better end of the deal." Mikey chimed in nonchalantly. His ears were on them but his eyes and focus were set on defeating Dr. Eggman. Mona shook her head slowly, smiling at the eavesdropper.

"Hold on!" Angel sat up in her chair, her hands up to her chest and exposing her palms in surrender. "April saved yall?" She could hear Raphael's head move up and down against the pillow on his head from she sat right by him. She turned to look at him.

"Yep. She's our hogosha." He elaborated.

"What's that?"

"Our hot-mazing guardian spirit." The orange banded terrapin put in once more. Although it wasn't the exact words either reptile would have used, he was on the money for the most part.

"That's hecka cool." The Chicana brightened up in appearence. After looking over the design and mentally telling herself that she knew what she was doing, she was ready to begin. Her cool, webbed hand took a needle out of the tomato cushion. The needle was so small and hard to keep a hold of as she reached to grab the end of the string on the small spool.

"Yeah?" She then tried to put the end of the string into the small hole. With two fails, she believed that talking while she did it will help her focus better. "Our father was the head of the Chinese Magicians and taught Venus the mystic arts. Both of us were trained under a martial arts master. That's who they're visiting right now."

"Dude." She said breathlessly, arching her neck and back backwards. She felt as if she was going to touch the floor with her hands pulling down on her cheeks, pulling skin away from her eyes until she straightened back up. "Yall are tight, ninja mutant animal people with a magic turtle as a sister. Yall know how dope yall is?" The Chicana praised the three. Neither one knew how to respond to something like that, especially since they've never heard those words outside from each other. Since it was coming from a human, it was even more sincere to them. Even as he was fighting with his fingers, Mikey was trying to fight back an embarrassing smile and blush. Mona could only giggle and look to the floor, but then she saw her string still not in the hole and wiped it away. Raphael, as hard of a shell he was, fought back a goofy smile by pushing his tongue on the inside of his cheek.

"I wish the rest of the world had your outlook Angel." He commented. It kept him from smiling stupidly for a comment meant for him and instead let him smile for appreciating Angel's thoughts.

"Naw. Yall don't want mine. I almost became a Purple Dragon." She told with such sass. Then, she shook her head and looked off to the side to the floor. "Most stupid decision I've ever made." At the corner of her eye, she could see Michelangelo sit back into the couch. His knees were no longer touching his elbows after he defeated the Boss level. In perfect timing, he held his hand up for a brief moment so he can navigate through the rest of the game.

"I can vouch for that." He stated candidly. Everybody and Angel all knew that was a stupid idea; all she could do was own it.

"You get that string in the hole right?" The frustration on Mona's face was all too clear, but what fun isn't in asking her anyways?

"You try to get it in that one and I'll try to get it in the other." She offered to help. The lizard lady nodded in defeat, but she knew that this measly little task was going to take some teamwork. Although teamwork is a positive attribute, the negativity began to swirl once more.

"Nǐ wèishéme bù jìnqù(Why won't you go in)?"

"pequeño agujero estúpida! Por qué no pueden hacer estas cosas más grandes(Stupid little hole! Why can't they make these things bigger)?!"

"Nǎinai de kěyǐ tōngguò tā, nǐ wèishéme bù wéi wǒ zuò de(Grandmas can get it through, why won't you do that for me)?!"

"Casi lo tenía(I almost had it)!" They spit out frustratingly in their native languages. The two brothers looked on, mortified.

"You understand any of that?" Mikey leaned over on his bigger brother's feet cautiously, hoping his whisper will catch his ears and not the foreign tongues. Raphael, too, looked just as frightened when he looked back to give him his answer.

"Not a word."

After a few moments, watching the two girls struggling so hard and speaking in indecipherable languages, Raphael couldn't idly lay there anymore. Moving his feet off of the couch, he sat himself up into a sit facing the two struggling girls. "Give it here." He demanded in a small voice with an outstretched hand to Mona. Immediately, she brought the irritating pieces to her opposite shoulder, turning her body so it was the furthest away from him.

"No! You'll break it." Her view of him was mortifying and juvenile. The red banded terrapin leaned over to grab a needle from the cushion. He didn't seem to have as much trouble having it in his large fingers. With the pointed end exposed, he looked to the lizard lady. Knowing what he was about to do, she was ready to pull back the arm he was aiming to poke. In doing so, it brought her opposite shoulder towards him, in which he was able to snatch the pink thread from her. Mona Lisa, although upset that he had tricked her, just sat in defeat with a pouty look. She already couldn't thread the needle, so what difference did it make that Raphael might mess it up, bend the needle, or go on a wild rampage for not being able to do it? What was there to lose?

As quick as he snatched it, he handed it back to her. Mona took it, rolling her eyes. She knew he would give it up. She looked at the thread-less needle, expecting to be disappointed. But, she wasn't. The stupid thread was in the little needle. That hothead did it? What!?

"How'd you do that?" Mona questioned in disbelief, feeling relief flow down through her body that stress had occupied.

"Years of practice." He shrugged, and then sat deep into the couch with his arms sitting atop the edges of it.

"You sew?" The top of his do-ragged head moved side to side along with a floating hand.

"A little."

"He meant to say a lot." Mikey added nonchalantly. Mona let a huff of air escape her throat.

"I've never seen you do it." She asked in such a way to make him explain why she had never seen him do it or validate his experience.

"Well, I had to stitch up the things I knitted up."

"You knit?" Both her voice and jaw dropped in disbelief. Angel had her mouth agape as well, but even more so since he revealed that he can sew. At the moment, she just remained silent, showing her words through exaggerated facial expressions.

"Yeah." He answered as if it were obvious. "That scarf you wear when you go out, mine. The red blanket, mine." Michelangelo cut him off before he could try to list another item.

"Just say everything."

"I wouldn't expect such an art from you Raph."

"Because I'm a guy?" He asked, quite offended. Mona raised a concerned brow.

"I don't believe in gender norms." She clarified. Now knowing this, the large turtle let some of his guard down in his huffed posture.

"Yeah, besides, you seem more like a wrecker than a maker." Angel added, hitting the same point Mona was going to make with a nod of both of their heads. Raphael rolled his head, hoping to feel a slick crack in the back of his neck.

"Splinter had me learn to 'channel my anger'." He explained. Mikey, having his game in a mode in which he was shown the menu, dropped his nunchuck and leaned over his brother's lap. The still connected Wii remote slapped the bigger terrapin's thigh as his goofy brother lay belly down across his lap with his elbows digging in his thighs. In doing so, he created an innocent, childlike pose with his hands pushing up on his cheeks and a giant, chubby bunny smile on his face.

"So instead of love in every stitch, there's fury in every knot." His voice was quite mushy as well, adding to his persona. The annoyed brother placed his hand over the chubby bunny smile and pushed him all the way off of him. A quick flash of his teeth meant Mikey better not try that again. The orange banded turtle shrugged with a giggle and resumed his previous occupation.

"You don't suppose you can help us out with this." Mona asked, holding up her dress to him. Raphael took his gaze off of his brother and to the fabric shown before him. You could see his eyes thinking whether or not he wanted to engage in the activity, but eventually, the call of boredom was sent to him.

"I guess." He sighed, but you could see the hidden enthusiasm behind those amber eyes. Mona smiled. "What's going on?" He leaned over on his knees.

"Well, we did a little reboot with Mona's gear." Angel grabbed the design paper and handed it to him. He brought it up to his eyes, studying it. "We went for a little Chinese Ninja Beyonce Bootylicious kind of thing." With each describing word, Angel couldn't help but create a dance out of it for a little more visual aid. The crane pose, head swish, hip roll thing brought both mutants to stare at their eccentric friend judgmentally, but in the friendliest of ways.

"Okay."


	21. Expansion

The orange light of the sun barely lined the mountain tops. So high, the air was brisk in the morning, shedding light into the dew of the grass and bush. The high altitude took some of his breath away from his lungs, but did not affect him greatly. Leonardo was climbing the mountains at such an early hour. Beside him, his sensei and Venus strode upwards into the sky. A pretty turtle woke him up earlier than usual. With Miwa standing in his room's doorframe, she insisted that they all wake earlier to make their trip up this mountain for reasons he had not known, but a lesson was sure to follow it.

Nowadays, he was a lot more tired. Having been used to Splinter's lessons, even the most rigorous ones, he could not prepare his body for whatever Miwa had in store. But, most of that weight was from him and not her. For the next few days, they've noticed something in the terrapin's behavior, Venus especially. She's known the turtle for a long while now and noticed a change in his training habits. Usually, Leo was the water jock. When Splinter gave a water break, he was the first one to ramble on about the importance of water and keeping hydrated. You'd think Donatello would spit out the health facts but when it came to physical matters, Leonardo was on it to make sure his crew was hydrated. With the added factor of being aquatic creatures, it was of most importance to him. Recently, he refused water until he was able to complete an obstacle course outside of the Wu Kwan in the time frame Miwa permitted. Numerous times was he given a chance for water. Even Venus, who felt uncomfortable knowing that his water intake was scarce, had to try to force feed him his bottle until he took it passively. Then, right after, he'd toss the bottle aside and go at it at a full sprint.

They were coming to a flat plane of the rock. Not necessarily the top, the flat plane was a large area in which you could run to one end and grow tired before you could try to run back; the perfect space to work out on in needed be. Thankfully, they had nothing on their backs for they needed nothing but their own bodies. On the topic of water, a freshwater stream runs down the mountainside, which was not too far (That is if Leo's going to drink from it).

"Why do you think you're up here?" Those were the first words he heard his sensei say since they woke up this morning. The male terrapin had to snap himself out of his own thoughts to register her sudden use of words. Miwa stopped, looking over her shoulder with a neutral face. Leonardo rolled his shoulders forward.

"I'm not sure. I thought it was the mystical, kung fu thing to do." He joked with a chuckle. That earned a smile from Miwa. No teeth showed, but the corners of her mouth lifted, as well as Venus'.

"You are somewhat right. We hiked up here to give you a new perspective." She peered over to Venus' direction. The female terrapin nodded as if her opinion were as important as Miwa's. Her brown eyes looked out to the scenery off the cliff. She stretched her arm out, welcoming the world into it as she spun. "Look out, what do you see?" she instructed. Leonardo, hesitant at first, took few steps. From someone who could jump rooftop to rooftop, he was very careful not to fall off a mountain. His two toes stopped short of the drop off nearly two feet away from the edge.

So many years, he looked at a world of bright lights and bustling over a high throne. What he saw no, was nothing of the like. Barely a soul walked instead of running to their destination. Parts of the hills were dotted with livestock grazing peacefully in their corrals. Carving through these hills was the stream that ran through the mountain they were on. Just then, the sun began to show its illuminating face over the mountain. New light revealed the hidden shadows of the bamboo far away, casting them on the quaint village thriving beside it. Even the touch of sun on his nose felt good and gave him good vibes. He smiled.

"Just about everything. There's a small village, the bamboo forest, mountains, streams..." He'd go more into detail, yet his voice trailed off as he basked in the scenery the sun had revealed to him.

"Villages are a plethora of various occupations. The water invites different skills and observations, just like how its qualities are different from the forest and mountains. All complex fields yet they all come together and create China." Brushing sounds coming from the grass came closer as her footsteps came closer to her student. She stood beside him, smiling. She appreciated his liking to nature, as many teenagers would not be so impressed with simplicity. Her slitted eyes looked back out, embracing her home. "You are a limited student and I am here to open you up to new opportunities. From my evaluation of you, you know only the styles of ninjutsu." Leonardo bowed his head for a second, when he came back up, he was didn't trying to stifle an embarrassed laugh.

"Hai, sensei."

"Yet, you grew confused with a move Venus had done because it was nothing you have ever seen." Miwa looked over her shoulder. "Venus, what did you do?" she asked. Leonardo turned as well. The light blue banded turtle had hoisted herself up onto a boulder. Her legs were collected underneath her body, intertwining with one another. When called on, her face had an expression that looked as if she had seen a ghost.

"I did a cartwheel-kick type of thing." Her face straightened out as she answered. Immediately after, she dropped her chin onto her fist which meant her elbow dug into her thigh. It appeared as if she were in deep thought. Miwa turned back around.

"So, you could not recognize the move because it is categorized as physical capoeira."

"What?" He looked at his mentor, very confused.

"Capoeira:" She repeated, making sure he caught every syllable and sound that the word made. ": A fight-dance style originating in Brazil. My students are exposed to numerous fighting styles to prepare themselves for anything. Today, we start with a few basic moves from different fighting styles. You will eventually learn the basis of Krav Maga, Kung Fu, Capoeira, and my personal favorite" she paused to smile. ", kick boxing."

"Alright." He agreed, his voice smoothly changing from a lower to higher octave with a bounce. Honestly, he was just about as excited about kickboxing as his teacher. Every so often his family was able to catch a good fight, but it never occurred to his mind that he should have been mimicking their moves. He was too busy trying to master his own discipline before even thinking about adopting another fighting style. It could interfere with his own learning and mix him up anyways.

"May I dismiss myself?" The third asked. Again, the two looking out turned to look at the sitting terrapin, except, she wasn't on her rock for long. Her green body slowly slid off the rough surface. Her demeanor was sheepish, something they have not seen her do in a while, but it wasn't out of her natural character. Leonardo hadn't heard her be so quiet for nearly a year. Miwa nodded, confused why she would even ask.

"Of course." She responded. "Where are you off to?"

"Mr. Leon's." Venus looked to her toes, hands behind her back. "There's somebody I haven't seen yet and I really miss him." Her lime eyes smiled shyly at her former master. A satisfied smile from Miwa made the poor girl giggle with embarrassment. Man, were they like mother and daughter. But, Leo, oh snap! Did she just say 'him'?

"Ah, Yujin will be excited to see you." Venus nodded.

"And I'm excited to see him." Snap! She did say 'him'! "Have fun with the lesson, Leo." The sound of his name snapped him out of his dreaming. Given that Venus was already half-turned and waving at him, he could make a wild guess that she was now leaving.

"See ya, Venus." He forced himself to say. With that, her back was turned and was off down the mountain.

Throughout the lesson, Leonardo couldn't help but try to focus on his training, but it was so hard! Numerous questions went through his head.

" _Who's this 'Yujin'? Clearly, she's never mentioned him before. If she did, then she would legitimately like this guy. Maybe he's a friend?"_ but of course, his thoughts made him doubt, and he hated it. All he could do was focus that energy into his lesson. Every form Miwa had sculpted him to do; he used all the energy he had in that limb to strike this imaginary man. " _I've heard her and Mona say it. Nobody out here, no male their age ever thought of living the rest of their lives with them. They wouldn't even give them the chance."_ He pushed off of his leg and kicked so hard that it felt like it was going to fall off. This didn't stop him from continuing to do so all the same.

Leonardo and Miwa spent the majority of their day on the mountain, whether or not it was learning a new technique or treading across its surface. Both made it back to the Wu Kwan before sunset, giving Miwa enough time to prepare their dinner.

Currently, the sun had left the Chinese surface, bringing the dark along with it. The kitchen air was somewhat hot as the daily chef stood over her broiling pot of Mapo tofu bubbling under a stove. As she watched over her cooking brew, a few lengths away, two very anxious males sat at the dinner table. One of them being the Ancient One, who could not sit still in his chair. For someone who has lived for so long, he lacked greatly in patience. Tinkering of his spoon and fork clashed every so often as he played with him. With his natural eyes and wrinkles toppling over them, he stared blankly with boredom with the random pieces of silver that were not o be used for the meal, just for his amusement.

Next to him was Leonardo, looking stuffed against the chair and table with his arms crossing one another. What was on his mind was exactly what was missing from the picture. With the dark out and seeing her early in the morning, Venus had vanished without a trace. Continuously, Miwa would make a comment about her coming home soon and about the late hour. What could possibly be keeping her? It couldn't be **him,** this **Yujin** character.

"Glad you made it back to dinner on time." She greeted her with the utmost sarcasm as she poured some soup into a bowl. Venus' throat vibrated as she tried to stifle a giggle as she came to sit down. She pulled out a chair from the table and sat next to her fellow terrapin friend. She couldn't help but notice he looked quite stuffy and annoyed when she came near him.

"Pardon me, I lost track of time." She apologized. Somehow, she hoped that would change Leonardo's expression or so hoped he was asking for an explanation in an implicit way. His body shifted a little, softening himself, but not yet opened up.

"How you lose track of time when food is on the table? Silly kumquat!" Ancient One criticized as Miwa passed over him to serve him his meal. His critical features brightened instantly as he rubbed his hands together quickly and took in its scent.

To shy himself from the old kook's gross eating habits, Leonardo turned the other way. In doing so, he had given himself a great excuse to look at Venus. From earlier, he failed to notice the red puffiness of her eyes.

"Venus…" She looked up. Those eyes were definitely water logged earlier. "Were you crying?" She looked away abruptly. Her arm brushed the sides of her eyes, trying to erase any water works remaining in her ducts. Then, he heard a sniffle, one meant to suck up anything else that could be trying to escape from her face.

" _Did that boy make her cry? What kind of sick being would make Venus cry_?" He thought as he waited for her to answer, that is, if she was able to. Venus turned back around to the questioning turtle. Her eyes aimed down but towards his feet.

"I didn't know how much I'd miss him." She smiled as she admitted it. Leonardo, expected to be indifferent or relieved once she told him, was more shocked than ever. Yet, he did not go so far as to offend the female turtle.

" _Is him making her cry tears of joy better than crying from pain? If he made her happy, that's great, but if she does what does that leave me?"_ his thoughts flowed through, throwing such upsetting ideas.

On the other hand, the outside world was a lot brighter despite the darkness of the walls and Leonardo's mind. Miwa continued to serve the rest of the family while she posed a question.

"How was your visit with Yujin?" The female mutant intertwined her hands together, squeezing them so hard that it almost hurt. Her fist pushed into her cheek as her head cocked to one side, twisting her torso rapidly.

"Aw! I love him so much! He ran right up to me and I couldn't resist kissing his whole face." She spoke highly of him as the previous memories of him revisited her soul.

"An adorable duo you two are." Miwa sat at the table. Finally, she was able to enjoy her cooking as she put the spoon of tofu into her mouth. The memory of food interrupted her memories of Yujin, causing her to pick up a spoon and dip it in the bowl. She brought it up to her mouth, but she couldn't find to put it in because she was smiling too hard. "Sweet, bright and pretty with tall, dark, and handsome." The older woman cooed; Venus put the spoon and her head down in defeat as she smiled to her wonderful words.

"You got that right!" She exclaimed her in bowl.

Leonardo had taken the last of his sips before dropping the spoon back into his bowl. The large palms of his hands pressed firmly against the table as he pushed himself up and out of the chair. The family surrounding him looked up to some alarm for a good amount of food was still left. He picked up his bowl and placed it as carefully as he could into Miwa's sink.

"Not that hungry." His blatant explanation for his actions stuck as he sashayed slowly out of the room. Four eyes (Ancient One couldn't care less) were glued onto the weird-acting mutant. "I'm a little tired, so I'll be at the house. I'll see you tomorrow, sensei." He spoke lowly. With that, he faced the exit of the room and went to leave the Wu Kwan. The people at the table were suspicious, or otherwise, confused. After so many days, they knew Leonardo had just as big of an appetite as Venus. Okay, that wasn't what was concerning them. Him leaving so suddenly and not sticking around to talk after a meal was unusual. His body language was tense as well. Previously, he was tense just because he didn't want to give Miwa the wrong impression, but even then, overtime, he loosened up around the family. Something wasn't right, but, yet again, the family chose not to speak of it and let him figure it out himself.

Meanwhile, completely oblivious to Leonardo's suspiciousness, the Ancient One let his head up from the bowl. Traces of the tofu lined his face while he reminisced in the meal.

"So, you saw Yujin today?" he asked. After all the conversation, he completely blocked them out as he ate. Venus' head jerked some, snapping her out of her concerning thoughts for Leonardo. With her emotion sense, she feared something was brewing inside that turtle. She tried to ignore those senses as she answered the Ancient One's ignorant question.

"Yes, I did." She answered politely. He nodded, rubbing his hands on his satisfied stomach in circles.

"I like him. He good boy." He complimented. Never during the entire visit had Leonardo hear the Ancient One say a good word about **ANYBODY.** The only way he could hear about it would be to not leave at all. It doesn't take much training to give the illusion that one leaves the room when really, they are hiding behind the wall. He stood there silently, just to catch some words that they talk about him or any other information he could use. Instead, the words he caught were discouraging for they insisted to talk more about that Yujin boy. Making sure the knock of his shell doesn't make a sound, he lay against the wall. His head lulled up towards the sky, asking for answers in quiet as he took a deep, yet silent breath. Numerous thoughts rummaged through his head before he came to a conclusion. To a normal person, it would have been drastic, but when you're in his position, it only fueled his mindset.


	22. Love Me or Leave Me

With no need to go out at night, their sleeping patterns changed some. Only a rare few times they wouldn't go out during the night, in which they could experience actually waking up at sunrise and sleeping through the night. The idea popped into his head when he woke up that morning.

Most people were awake at the hour, with the exception of Donnie. Unlike Michelangelo and Raphael, he was given the most respect for sleep for he would stay up all night innovating and not watching TV or listening to music. With him asleep and everyone in the house groggy, the wide awake turtle jumped at the chance. He settled himself on the floor behind the drum set. That was where they now kept their CDs, games, and other digital media. The drum chair was not used for he was trying to be somewhat invisible for what he was doing was sneaky. His legs stretched out a little in the cramped space with a cardboard box sitting on the floor between them. On the top and all four sides of it, the label "Donnie" and "Keep Out: Especially You Mikey", was written in quick, black marker. Being him, just mentioning him to not do something is all to tempting to commit. Mikey ignored the warning signs and began to curl his three fingers around the edge of the top of the box.

"Mikey!" A sharp tone out of the blue nearly scared the shell off the young ninja. He reacted by pressing his hands on his pecs and giving a pitchy, short-lived scream. With shocked pupils, Mona came into the picture. Given that she had her hair wrapped up in a towel, she had just come out of the hot tub. With her usual uniform under construction in Angel's abuela's hands, random t-shirts and printed shorts was her go to outfit for the hot season. "Are you going through Donnie's stuff?" She questioned, eyes zooming in on the "Don't Touch". Her hands reached up to the top of her head, seeking to unwrap her hair by tugging on the towel. Her long strands fell in wet clumps as they escaped. In a matter of seconds, he devised an explanation that would surely convince the lizard lady; he immediately relaxed to his previous state.

"Sensei said we need to learn about each other better." He presented with such presence. His eyes gently exaggerated as he blinked. Although he was sitting on the floor, he tried to look as professional as possible bay placing his enclosed hands on top of the box and speaking clearly, yet quietly. "Getting to know someone the best is getting into the things they don't want you to touch." His tone quickly changed to playful as he pulled the top off the box from impulse.

Inside was definitely something he's never seen before. It was a rather large box to begin with, but he wouldn't believe that there would be records stacked inside them. Mona crouched down with matched curiosity as the young terrapin slowly began to lift up the paper covers. Some were tore up while others faired much better.

" _Count Basie and the Kansas City 7, Florence Mills: Harlem Jazz Queen, The Old, Weird America_?" He read aloud to her as he pulled a select few covers. "What the shell… this is why he kept that record player."

"We have a record player?"

"No, Donnie has one. It's in the corner of the lab. He said it's gonna be worth a lot of money and I'm really not supposed to touch it."

"Someone's coming!" Mona tried to say as quietly as possible after she jumped from her spot. Mikey was quiet to listen to big footsteps coming near them.

"Uh…" His words and hands fumbled as he rushed to stuff the records back. Being so tightly packed, it was nearly impossible to get them back in time without the person coming seeing what was going on as well as too risky to break them and have Donnie find out anyways. In a last ditch effort, he slid the three records underneath the cart that supported the boxes. Surely, Mona could retrieve them later from their tight spot. Then, they had to find a way to not look suspicious. Already standing, Mona grabbed a random box as Mikey stashed Donatello's back.

"What are you guys doing?" Both looked up with dumb expressions, much like a child's. It was Raphael. He looked tired, more than someone would appear from just waking up. His chest puffed some, signaling he was out of breath from something (possibly from a morning run?). Michelangelo looked up at him with wide eyes. He continued to "Um", exaggerating the smacks of his lips with the occasional tongue sticking out and brushing his lips.

"Pronowoonsing Tings Incooricalli (Pronouncing Things Incorrectly)." He answered with a wide smile. Raphael, suspicious of his brother, looked to Mona. Surely she knows what he was doing. Since Mona was just as equally responsible for what the youngest really did, it would have been a wrong move to give him up. Instead, she looked up to him with silent bounces of her head. Her lips were sucked into her mouth as she did. Then, Michelangelo began to pull out things from the box. From what Mona grabbed, it was the box o their favorite albums. Sticking to his story, Mikey picked each case up and read them accordingly. "Pinqc Fridai, Bayouncey, Harey I Stained- oh, I was lookin' for this one." He flipped the Usher album to the back cover to read the songs listed. The lizard lady dropped her head into her hand. She left a pocket of air between it and her head as her fingers dragged along her forehead as she shook it in disapproval.

Raphael looked on at the two. He was still suspicious but decided to drop it for he was sent with bigger things.

"Splinter wanted us to keep quiet while he's reading." He warned. Michelangelo groaned.

"Can he **not** read by the waterslide?" It was a rhetorical question, yet it was answered.

"He said he likes to hear the water running." The red clad terrapin shrugged his shoulders and cocked his head to the side.

"A'ight," he gave up "we be like mice. Shh…" Big green lips pouted into a tight "O" followed by a large green finger being pressed up against it. He directed his action towards Mona, pretending that she was going to be the loud one. She retaliated by smacking his finger away, which also pressed a little into his teeth. He continued to pout, finger or no finger.

"Ya'll hidin' somethin'." The question was restated. The two childish mutants looked back up.

"Naw." Mikey answered the guiltiest way by acting as if it were a joke in the worst possible way complete with a "Pftt" and sudden comradery with Mona Lisa, who was just as bad as acting. Slowly, they both began to realize that the largest wasn't buying it. Instead of trying to get answers, Raphael put his hands up in surrender and turned away.

"I don't wanna know." He walked away towards his bedroom. A loud yawn bellowed out from his throat as he walked away. Until they saw Raph out of sight, Mona reached down behind Mikey to retrieve the stashed records. The forbidden box was once again in their possession as they worked together to push the records back in their place.

"I wonder why Donnie has so many records. Who knew he liked them." Mona commented as she pushed Count Basie back in. It was the last one. Mikey sat there, his body looking plopped and slumped as he thought. Mona was just about to put the lid on until he was stopped by an arm placed over the box.

"Let's listen to one." He suggested.

"I thought you said Donnie won't let you touch it."

""I opened this, didn't I?" His eyebrows bounced. Before Mona could try to say yes, Mikey grabbed a record at random and jumped up from behind the drum set. The suddenness also made the lizard lady jump once more. She, too, was also just as curious.

Now they knew. With Donatello still sleeping, they were able to get into his lab and get to the record player. It took some trail and error for it to work until they actually got the thing playing. The record Michelangelo brought was one by Billie Holiday from Okeh Records. When they first heard the quality of the instruments and the stylings of their voice, they finally understood. The reason they didn't know those songs or people was due to them being old school, and I mean way old school. This wasn't some type of Jackson 5 record, but after overlooking others as well as this one, these records dated all the way back to the 1920s. They listened to one of her songs in particular, _Love Me or Leave Me_ , a number of times until they felt that Donnie may wake up at some point. They left his lab with virtually no sign of them being there.

"Love me or leave me be lonely, you won't believe me and I love you only." Mikey began to sing in his signature stylings as he carried the record carefully behind his back. Their next stop was to put it back without anybody noticing. The two were about to round the corner to where the bedrooms were.

"I'd rather be lonely than," Mona began to chime in.

"happy with somebody else…" a third voice jumped in. The two stopped in their tracks, slacked jawed and bright eyed. It was Donatello. From the looks of it, he had just woken up for nothing was strapped on his shell and he still wore just his shorts, bandana, and glasses. Now, his eyes were red and his arms folded over one another. "How do you two know that song?"

"We…" Mikey couldn't keep up the lies anymore. Donatello made him feel so guilty, even though he didn't suspect that they did what they did. The orange clad terrapin showed pain in his face as he revealed to him what he was holding behind his back. Donnie's eyes grew wide when he saw Billie Holiday in **Mikey's** hands. "kinda got in your stuff."

"You played my records?!" He was shrill. Before he could get any louder, Mona shushed him in respect to Splinter. They looked over to where he would be. He sat back on his tail, facing towards the waterslide with his nose in the book. Knowing he was undisturbed, Donnie looked back at Michelangelo. As upset as he was, he still took the record with great care.

"No!" Mikey whispered harshly. "Just the one!"

"I understand you don't want us to touch your fragile records, but we had to know." She shoved Mikey's side. "It was his idea." Mona quickly looked away, lips sucked back into her mouth. Feeling thrown under the bus, he couldn't find any words to say to her or explain himself as he pointed at her in various poses.

"You know what?" he found himself to speak. "I just wanted to get to know my bro a little more. I mean, you're always in the lab or your nose is in the monitors day in and day out. There must be something else to you than just being a genius. So yeah, I went through your records. I listened to Billie Holiday. And you know what? I **like** her! There's no shame in listening to songs older than sensei. You have great taste in music Donatello! I congratulate you!" Throughout his speech, the intensity in his voice grew. Again, they had to quiet down the proud terrapin. Although shushed, he took pride in his speech.

"You're right." Donnie looked at the record in his hands. Both Mona and Mikey looked amazed.

"Uh... yeah I'm right!" he tried to push it, but a slight scowl from the purple clad turtle made him stop before it was too late to stay on his good side.

"I guess I can let this one go. I mean, you guys didn't mess it up. But, don't ever do this again." He warned.

"Scout's honor." The orange clad terrapin put a three fingered salute up. Donnie sighed and looked back down at the record.

"I didn't know you could hit some notes, Donnie." Mona commented. He looked up from his record. She was referring to when he chimed in from earlier. A pink blush took over his cheeks. That geeky, shy smile was too adorable to resist as he smiled at the floor.

"I can't."

"Please. You sound much better than Mikey's best."

"Yeah!" He said with such confidence. Then suddenly, his face dropped as he realized what she just said. "Hey!" he said in denial. Mona turned to her partner in crime. Her expression was more sympathetic than anything as she took his arm and wrapped her own gently around it.

"It takes real artistic persuasion to appreciate your voice." She stifled any laughter that would come out of her light lie. She knew she had to make it sound as pleasing and professional as possible to keep him from suspecting.

"Thanks." His smiled returned. He bought it!

"I do admit that I do fancy humming along and matching pitch, but I'm not that good." He continued to discredit himself. "But, if you want a real singer, you have to go talk to Raph."

Did he just… suggest… Raphael? Raphael? Red Raphael? Big Raphael? Bulky Raphael? Road Rage Raphael? The Raphael in the house? The ninja turtle one?

"No way! Are you serious?" Her mouth was gaping, brown eyes wide with disbelief. Donatello got a kick out of her reaction and chuckled. She honestly thought he was playing, but Michelangelo was nodding his head.

"Mm hm, plays the guitar too." He added. Mona looked at Donnie, then, Mikey, then back at Donnie. No flippin' way! Before she could try to speak, a puff of air escaped from her throat as she nodded her head, slowly accepting the fact.

"That boy is full of surprises." She placed her hands on he hips and licked her lips. "Raph!" she called. Once more did the shushing erupt.

"Sensei, remember?" Donnie pointed to the reading rat. Mona silently apologized and made way for the bedrooms.

Donnie didn't catch them too far into that specific hall. He also didn't realize that Raphael was in his room for he was very quiet in there. Without disturbing Splinter, they backed up to see him in his bedroom. If they came up to him directly, who knows what he would have done. They had to back up for he was in the upper regions of the four rooms (which was still a concern for Mikey who believed his large weight was a safety hazard). Instead of seeing him lying on his back doing anything animated, his blanket was over his body and his eyes were closed. And not to be mistaken for just relaxing there, his snores concluded that he was dozing.

"Annnd, he's knocked out." Mikey commented. "How do you take a nap after just waking up?" He just saw Raphael less than 20 minutes ago. Maybe he was sleeping off that run he may have had that morning. It must have been a heavy run if he was sleeping that soundly.

"Do we wake him?" Donnie quizzed. It was mostly towards Mona. She raised her brow.

"You wanna poke the bear?" She pointed to the heaving creature above.

"I thought you were fearless after that one time." Donnie pointed out. It sure was fearless Mona to wake him up on day 1. She shook her head and walked away from the two and towards the kitchen.

"It's not fair to Splinter if we wake that mass over there." She threw her thumb behind her. "We'll just catch him when he wakes up." She left the two boys behind to contemplate her answer. She was right. If they woke him up, he'll be mad, then Splinter will be mad, then everybody's morning would get all messed up. Mikey gave a quick shrug before following Mona in the kitchen (possibly to see if he could get a free breakfast going). Donatello parted away, wanting to put away his record before following his family into the kitchen. The only thing left in the room was a silent Splinter and a clogged-nosed, giant turtle that slept as if he had never had enough hours.


	23. What's a Draft?

Training was going to start later today. Miwa had told the night before that she will be making an early trip to the bustling marketplace of the nearest village for her groceries. Both Leonardo and Venus were relaxing in Venus' old home. With no TV and keeping away from their phones, they tried to live the day without electronics. At first, it seemed doable, that is, until sheer boredom kicked in. Leonardo lay back on the couch in the living room. The entire space was cleared on the sides of the wall, courtesy of him and Venus. Plastic lay atop the hardwood floor, protecting it from any paint that may dare to stain it. In the middle of the floor, a colorful Venus sat. Green skin was speckled, globbed, or smeared a color that was not her own on her hands, face, and body. Previously, she had purchased plain animal figurines meant to paint upon as a project. In her hands currently, a traditionally scaled horse of orange characteristics was being painted upon.

"Is that one supposed to be Mikey?" Leonardo asked. Before she began, she introduced her idea to him. Having been painting animal figurines for years, she thought it would be really cool to have a family set of her own. 'Why horses?' you ask? Because she loves how their power, beauty, and versatility merely reflect her family's attributes more than any dog. Besides, what's prettier: a painted dog or a painted horse?

"Mm hm." Her lips were sucked into her mouth when she responded, concentrating on the details of it. Venus wasn't half bad. The figure was dark orange at the neck and flank, and then they both evenly blended into a bright orange by the time it reached its stomach. Currently, her brush held the color red as she inscribed the turtle's Japanese caricature on its shoulder.

"Now, I see that these figures look a little different." Venus nodded her head, not taking her eyes off her figure. From the couch, Leonardo reached for the figures that were already painted their model's bandana colors, but have not yet had details painted on them. Good thing they had already dried from hours before otherwise Venus would probably burn down the house. He picked up the one meant to be Donatello and the one to be Raphael in the other. Both were held up on his chest as he studied and compared their features. "See, Donnie's is taller, which makes perfect sense since Raph's is shorter and fatter, but I can also tell" He traced his finger on the nose of horse-Donatello "this one's nose slopes while the other" He traced horse Raphael's "one's is a little cut. You know?"

"The figures are all different horse breeds. I chose each one according to our own attributes." Done with the first detailing of Michelangelo's, Venus set him down gently to dry on a piece of ripped up cardboard. When the horse was standing securely, the female terrapin crawled up to the couch. Her shell leaned on the supporting structure and cushions as she sat on the floor near Leo.

"Donatello," she pointed to the purple figure. "Is a shire, known for its intelligence and willingness to do work. It is also the biggest of the draft breeds."

"What's a draft?" Leo quizzed, quite surprised that her interest and knowledge of horses was something she hasn't shown for the many months she had known them. Venus giggled. In her mind, she believed these were the basics that people would know, but that only meant she was so knowledgeable on the subject. She composed herself to explain with a smile.

"Work horses. They're the ones you see plowing fields or pulling heavy equipment. Since we work like horses, might as well be a draft." She commented. Her arm reached out to grab the Raphael figure from Leonardo's hand. "Raphael is a Suffolk Punch." She took one of its legs between her finger and thumb and swung its large body within them.

"Makes sense." Leo chortled at his own joke. Venus giggled back, knowing far too well that it was a very befitting name for a punch-happy turtle.

"It's a little smaller than a shire, yet what it makes up for it height is its own bulkiness. Michelangelo," a finger pointed at the now drying figure a couple feet away from her outstretched legs. "He's a Clydesdale, and if you've ever seen the Budweiser Clydesdales commercials, you'll know why he is."

"Oh no, I got you." Having watching TV, the "big football game" especially (dang trademarks!), the Budweiser Clydesdales may be promoting a beverage they do not find pleasing to themselves, the horses were nothing short of a favorite. Such large, majestic animals playing football, portraying Rocky, or any other silly antics was all too enjoyable.

"You," the back of her hand hit the back of his shoulder as a way to get his attention. She lifted up his already base-painted model after putting Raphael's down. "My friend, are a Percheron, known for its power and versatility." Leonardo studied the unique features it had compared to the others. It was large and full, but Venus was right on the powerful look it had.

"It's a little chunky, don't you think?" His finger and thumb slipped down his chin, as if critiquing the choice. His brow rose, eyes looking down at the female terrapin, questioning her. Venus responded by raising a brow back, equally sassy.

"At least you're smaller than Raphael." She defended her decision. The realization and acceptance of her observation was apparent in his eyes. Having getting him, Venus continued her explanations by bringing up a pink painted pony. "Mona is a Noriker, compact and powerful. It's also smaller compared to all you brick houses." She joked with a deep, sassy tone. Leo placed a hand on one side of his chest and clutched it.

"I take offense to that." His eyes grew wide and his voice began to whine, adding to his act.

"Really?" Her voice reverted back to a more sympathetic tone, but no less sarcastic. Leo dropped his hand. His brows dropped on his eyes, and then shook his head.

"No, not really." He smiled, letting his tongue glide against his teeth. Venus shook her own head, stifling any more giggles that the terrapin could give her. She proceeded, picking up a light-blue painted figure.

"And, I'm a North Swedish. Willing, strong, and… mostly because I find it pretty." Venus confessed with a shrug. Indeed it was a smaller figure than the ones that portrayed the brothers, yet it was still as thick. The animal had a thick, flowing mane that stuck to its body all the way down to the shoulder with a tail to match.

"That's a good looking horse." Leo nodded. The light blue banded terrapin turned her head halfway. Leonardo was still nodding, although more gently as a light smile plastered his face. Quickly, the female terrapin rose to her feet. She placed her figure on top of his chest. As a hard surface, the figure stood on his chest. Leo looked up at her. There was no smile, but she had a rag in her hands, which tried to remove any wet paint on her hands.

"I'm going to go wash up." She explained. Venus tossed the towel onto the plastic flooring before proceeding into the washroom. Leo sat there in the living room, eyeing the figure on his chest. His finger reached out to pet the nose of the still animal. It traced down and then back up to just to fall down the mane. Every crevice and strand was felt as he did. Then, he looked down to the ground below. As he turned to look, he held the Venus figure against his chest so it wouldn't fall off of him. He reached down to grab hold of the Percheron that lay above the mix of other figurines. With the hardened yet knobby tail in his fingers, it was enough to hoist the figure from the ground. He placed his figure on his chest as well, examining the two. The stocky, humble Percheron stood beside the small, yet proud North Swedish. He pushed the figures closer until their bodies clicked against each other. Leonardo stared at them, looking at how wonderful and powerful they looked together. Never had he so much wanted to trade places with a figurine horse.

Minutes passed before a new body entered the home. The knocked frightened Leonardo, making the figures fall on it. He was quick to keep them from sliding off if him and placed them on the floor with the others. There was only one person they were expecting, so they had already left the door unlocked.

"Come in!" Leonardo yelled through the door as he sat up from the couch. With the OK, Miwa entered the room. Having heard the knock, Venus emerged from the bathroom. The female terrapin managed to get most of the paint off, yet she continued to scrub herself with a wet towel when she came into the living room to greet her old sensei.

"Hey Miwa." She scrubbed some red off of her shoulder. Miwa nodded her head as a greeting. Leo placed a hand on the empty cushion of the couch. Miwa took it gratefully. As she sat, he pushed himself away further to give her some space. "Find what you needed?"

"Yes, and I got a little more than I bargained."

"Like…?" Leo's question lingered. He leaned some on the arm of the couch, his hand and elbow supporting his head.

"When I went to go buy more sweet bean sauce for the Peking duck I was going to make for us, I overheard some folk in the marketplace about some mysterious men walking around."

"Mysterious men?" Venus kneeled down to resume her position on a clean spot of the plastic. One leg crossed over the other as she waited for Miwa to explain more in detail.

"I asked them to describe them more and tell me all they knew. They said that they wore masks of grey hues that resembled a human face." She accompanied her words with hand motions. One hand, fingers slightly curled in, made circles around her own face. "Their entire bodies were cloaked in black. There, they had seen them moving about in the night, meeting with one another. Most of the villagers are not so scared for they have the wizard's council's headquarters down the road, but they believe something is up."

"How could it be?" The male terrapin lifted up from the arm of the chair and moved his elbow to his thigh. His hand now supported his hand as he sported a deep thought.

"What, Leonardo?" Miwa turned in her spot. Leonardo shook his head, hating to accept the fact, but there were no other people he could reference to.

"It sounds like the Foot to me." He breathed heftily. "How could they be here and what are they doing?" A dumbfounded look took over as he thought more about the possible situation. "The Shredder must be starting to feel better after you knocked him out." His hand jolted towards Venus, who was equally confused as he was.

"My trance should last longer. It would make no sense for him to be healthy so quickly."

"If he's still not well, then somebody else is probably taking over." Leo suggested, one of his fingers pressing into his thigh

.

"The Foot." Miwa uttered with disgust. Both terrapins, having been distracted in their minds looked at the withdrawn woman. Her arms crossed over each other hastily, almost in a pout. "Like cockroaches, they are hard to rid of." Leo scratched his head.

"You know about the Foot?" Miwa nodded, unable to look at him in the eye and rather stare down at her arms.

"In Japan, they are told as legends, but if you knew any better, you knew they were all too real." Tragedy and negativity took over her eyes as they glared down. Obviously, she was recollecting awful memories, but she tried her hardest not to trigger the two turtles. "They are the reason I left Japan and took refuge here."

"But," Venus almost trailed off. "You told me that it was because our father asked you to train us and you stayed because of that." Miwa looked up at her old student. Venus' head was hunkered down, as if Miwa's arms were obstructing her view of her face. She wanted to look her in the eye.

"I didn't want to scare either you or your sister," She explained. Then, she uncrossed her arms and placed them at her sides on the couch. A modest smile began to erase her negative appearance. "But you two are the reason I fell in love with this village." The truth had no way to hide in her statement. The female turtle's lips were sucked into her mouth, returning back to the outside with a curvy smile. Sadly, the warmth was short-lived as reality set back into her.

"So, what do we do about this?" Venus asked. Being with her sensei and the team leader, they must have been thinking of a plan to resolve the Foot mystery. As expected, one had and was ready to give his opinion.

"We'll have to go in the cover of night and rendezvous with the Foot there. If we catch one, we could give him a little interrogation." 'Interrogation' was said with a sneaky tone and the rubbing of his own knuckles. She thought Raphael was the only one that does that. Venus nodded at the plan, confirming she understood.

"No." Both Leo and Venus looked back at Miwa quickly.

"No?" Leo was confused. He thought it was a great plan. Maybe Miwa had a better one?

"Venus will go and gather what she can. You are staying here with me to train." She instructed. Leonardo was speechless. That wasn't a better plan at all. What if Venus needed help? What if they catch her? Who would have protected her? The short village people? Not likely if they don't know who she is.

"No offense, sensei, but" he took a moment to pause, trying to give his explanation clearly. "I have saved New York city about once or twice from the Foot. I don't think one skipped lesson would hurt." He didn't want to add that Venus may need his help in fears she may take it the wrong way. Both Venus and Miwa were strong willed, independent women and the last thing he needed was backlash for offering help. Despite his notion, Miwa shook her head.

"If you truly defeated them, they would not be back, yes?" She asked honestly. Leo wanted to say something, but couldn't find the words. Instead, he sighed and sat back deeper into the couch. Again, she hit him with the hard truth, hit with another lie he had forced himself to believe was true. Seeing the submission to her orders, Miwa stood. She was going to expect Leonardo some time later before Venus took off in the Wu Kwan. "You are staying here." She repeated, making it 100% certain that that was the plan to follow. With that, she left the room to go to her own home.

Once Miwa was out the door, Venus took her eyes off the door. She stared sympathetically, looking at how downtrodden and upset Leonardo was with the plan. She knew Miwa had disowned him and he was feeling the effects of her words. Feeling eyes on him, he looked up from the couch to the starer. Venus continued to look at him in the eye, showing how she, too, did not like the arrangement. The male terrapin took a moment before pushing himself off of the couch. It was hasty for he was angry. His steps grew heavy as he escaped from the living room to move off to wherever; anywhere to get away from the pressure of the room. The female terrapin looked down herself. Not meaning to, her eyes caught a glimpse of her figures that still lay on the floor. Leonardo hadn't noticed, but when he placed his and Venus' figure back down, he didn't realize that they were still close together. The Raphael, Donatello, and Mona Lisa figurines stood up beside one another yet they had a noticeable space between them. The other two, however, were pushed as close as possible with a good ½ foot away from the others. She closed her eyes tight and turned her face away. Then, she got up and went into her own room to devise how she was going to spy for the Foot that night.


	24. Getting to Know You

The lair underground was quiet. A little too quiet. Even with almost everybody gone, it was no excuse that the brawn and buffoon would keep the place silent. With Taylor gone for work, Mona and Angel took their fashion project over to seek any help or suggestions from the fashion guru herself. Donatello and Master Splinter made the trip as well for they too sought to visit April in a different setting than their own home. Surprisingly, Michelangelo denied the visit. The family was suspicious, mostly due to the cute crush he had on her and how he would sometimes go out of his way to impress her. Instead, he told them that it was better for him to look after Raphael, who was still sleeping. For the past couple of days, they noticed that their home felt a little less crowded without Raphael walking around. Every time they saw him, he was either sleeping, about to, or waking up. The only time spent out of his room was eating or spreading news Splinter had asked him to. For a while, the family thought he was ill, but the red clad turtle brushed them off, but assuring him that he is more than okay.

They weren't too fond of leaving Michelangelo alone. First, you never leave Mikey alone. As much as you want him to go away when he's bugging you, you know very well he'll break things and set others on fire. Even worse, he gave a rather unlikely explanation for his stay. Mikey concerned for Raphael? Not likely. What was a family to do? Their tempting words didn't make the terrapin budge. So then, with concerning looks and a feeling of regret, the family left to his devices.

A quick dunk in the base of the waterslide proved enough time that the departed family wasn't going to return any time soon. Michelangelo was drying himself off and looked off to where their bedrooms were. Raphael was still sleeping, but he saw him stir some since he was disturbed by any noise he made while be was bathing. The rebel settled back into his bed, telling Mikey that he was still asleep. The orange clad terrapin mouthed 'Yes!' while squeezing his eyes and shaking his fist. He wrapped the dampened towel around his waist when he stopped dripping and snuck off to Mona and Venus' bedroom.

" _Where is it? Where is it?"_ he repeated numerous times in his head as he search the room. His hands brushed around the junk contained in small bins that were destined for the lizard lady. Accessories, trinkets, other junk, nothing! He couldn't find it. He knows she keeps it in one of the bins, but he couldn't remember which. It was times like these he wished that they were colored bins and not all silver.

"What are you doing?" Raphael's deep, out of the blue voice shocked the young terrapin. He turned to see his brother take up the doorway. His eyes were red from just waking up. His arms were crossed over one another as he leaned on one leg.

"Nothing." He said as normally as possible. Raphael shifted to the other leg.

"Again, what are you doing?" Mikey's mouth was straight as a line, pushing his cheeks towards the sides of his head. He looked away and side, rolling his eyes.

"Can't a brother help a sister out?" He belted out loudly. The change in volume made Raphael cringe. He just woke up and wasn't ready for that at all, Mikey or not. "Geez! Her sister's gone to China, she's suffering from a wardrobe malfunction, and I just wanna help her clean up a bit. Can I not just do something nice like cleaning her room without being accused of something?" Raphael shook his head.

"No, you can't." he said firmly. Mikey knew it. As well as he thought the explanation was flawless, Raphael's Bull detector was too keen to bypass.

"Fine," the orange clad turtle slumped over as he prepared to admit his intentions. Raphael stood ready for whatever curveball Mikey was going to throw at him. "I'm looking for that piece of paper she keeps kissing on." Raphael lifted his brow. At first, he didn't know what he was talking about, but then, he realized those were Mona's bins he was looking through and the incidences of her with a specific piece of paper came back to him.

"Why?" He yawned, rubbing his hand inside the space that separated his eye from his forehead. The young turtle clicked his tongue and rolled his eyes. A breath that came out in waves left his body.

"Everyone seems to keep forgetting that Splinter told us to get to know each other better. I want to know why she keeps that piece of paper." He explained sassily, rummaging through another bin. Suddenly, he had a realization. His eyes popped out of his head as he stared at an unknown space. "What if it's dangerous?" he whispered. Just the thought made him look faster.

"What's so dangerous about a piece of paper?" Mikey's head went up. He didn't bother to look at Raphael.

"You know nothing about secret documents." He insulted, and then continued to look. Nothing! Maybe it's somewhere near her bed. That's where girls put their sentimental trash. Raphael looked on at his doof of a brother, tired but entertained by his failure and desperation. He could hear him huff and puff underneath the bed. "As second in command to Leo, it's my job to protect the family in his absence."

"Protect the family? You can't even protect a bag of chips!"

"I would if ya'll wouldn't gang up on me." He pouted. It was true; if they ever had to take anything away from Mikey, they had to do it with the help of teamwork. They don't know if it was because he was good at protecting things or that they legitimately will gang up on the youngest. Either way, the youngest didn't like it. "Besides, don't you wanna know what that thing is too?" Mikey asked. Raphael gave it some thought and nodded in acceptance.

"Now I do," he admitted. Tired of standing, he planted himself on Venus' bed, which sat next to Mona's. It used to be his, but now that their rooms are their beds with shelves and such on the walls, it was only fitting to donate their old ones to the girl's. Their room was separate and a little away from the boys. Set aside in an old, empty space, it was more fitting to separate the genders. His old blankest and pillows were in his room, but Venus' were somewhat newer and more plushy to the touch. "But if you're second to Fearless, how come you don't ask Mona what it is?" the question stopped Mikey completely. His hand gripped the top of his towel for he didn't want it to fall off as he slid from underneath the bed. He locked eyes with his brother. They were stone, piercing blue trying to grip a hold on him.

"Because I am a man." He said evenly; paused. "She's a strong woman." Raphael knew he was trying to say something legitimately, but quickly the cold persona fell off, as well as the orange clad terrapin's face. "Mona scares the shell outta me sometimes." He admitted. Raphael chuckled some, nodding his head.

"Yes!" The red clad terrapin jumped at looked down at the direction of the voice. For a brief moment, Michelangelo went back under the bed to search for the paper. Not before long, his baby blue eyes caught sight of a familiar, wrinkly thing. His hysterical laughter followed him from underneath as he pulled it out from the depths of her bed. Having dragged it against the floor to keep its contents of the other side a secret, Mikey wanted to make it a big reveal as he flipped it over and gazed upon it with his own eyes. Raphael leaned in; as if in doing so the big surprise will be more enjoyable. Instead, his ears were assaulted once more by his brother's shrill screams. "Oh MY GOSH! MY EYES!" He shrieked. A hand went over his eyes while the other pulled the picture away from him.

"What is it?!" Raphael jumped up from the bed, half scared. Michelangelo was struggling to speak.

"They're nudes of you from the bathroom!" He whined, clearly disgusted. The color from Raphael's face flushed.

"WHAT!?" He bellowed. Then, he grabbed it from his little brother to see it for himself. Before he could get a look at them, thus hoping it wasn't true, Michelangelo shouted once more.

"Just kidding!" He smiled brightly, arms stretched out wide. Raphael looked down at the picture; relieved, yet angered. "It's a horse." Mikey admitted. Indeed, the photo was of a dark brown horse with black points. The animal's body was straight on, but his head was turned to the left. "I thought it was you for a second." Mikey explained, sarcasm intended.

"Not. Funny." Raphael growled.

"You're right." He slipped the photo from between his fingers. A small card unknown to him slipped and fell to the floor. "The horse is waaay cuter." He commented as he looked at the animal more thoroughly. In disgust, Raphael knew he had to get back at him. An idea spawned as he reached for his towel. Without Mikey's hand on it, it was easily ripped off of his body. Raphael smiled deviously, but then it quickly faded.

"Aha!" Mikey laughed heroically. "I'm wearing boxers!" he announced. His posture turned to that much of a superhero with hands on his hips and chest puffed out. Raphael, although upset that his first plan didn't work, another one filled the void. He went to grab his boxers, but Mikey was quick to the charade. He hunkered down to keep them away from him, gripping the elastic to prevent their downfall. Big mistake, as intended, Mikey's current position was the perfect position. Raphael took his hand to smack his brother straight across. Mikey's hand held his cheek. His pouting expression indicated that Raphael's job has been completed. While Mikey rubbed his cheek, his eyes caught sight of the fallen card by his toes.

Raphael caught sight of it too and bent over to retrieve it.

"This is a note?" he asked as he inspected it. Suddenly, his shoulder got a little heavier. When he looked over it, he was met by a young terrapin who pressed his chin into his shoulder.

"What's it say? What's it say?" He begged as he tried to read it himself. The small script and shaky writing proved all too difficult to read in his position. Raphael began:

" _Dear Mona,_

 _I hope you and your sister are adjusting well to your new lives in America. I couldn't help that you left your child behind, who is a joy to have around. He's a bit on the ornery side but his brother keeps him in check. I had the camera out and he chose to pose for you. I wish you two the best!_

 _Sincerely, Mr. Leon"_

"OMG! Mona had a second kid!?" Michelangelo gasped in Raphael's ear. After a third shock to the ear, the biggest brother shoved him off of his shoulder.

"It's her horse, dum dum." He insulted. Michelangelo's eyes widened even more. The picture was still in his hands, in which he held it up high.

"MONA HAD A PONY!?" He shrieked again in disbelief. "All I got for Christmas was a _Get Out of Jail_ free card!" He recollected that one Christmas morning. He was expecting cash, but instead, it was an old monopoly card. He didn't understand it at first (or appreciate it for that matter), that is until there came a time to put it to use.

"I gave you that." Mikey put a hand on his shoulder. His hand squeezed it from his distress.

"Yeah! But just one! I used it up so quick!"

"That's the point." Raphael took a finger and pushed it against Mikey's chest to create some space between them. "You don't get many chances with me."

"Who'd a thunk it? Mona likes horses." He stared at the picture. "Or has one for that matter. Why you think she left it behind?"

"How many non-police horses have you seen in New York?" he asked, Mikey gave him a dumb look, Raphael pointed at it. "Exactly. She had to leave it behind. She and Venus had to leave a lot of things behind. Michelangelo nodded. It would seem hard to leave home and everything you know. When the location of the old lair was compromised twice and blown to bits, it was hard to move from somewhere you lived for 15 years of your life. But, even then, he still lived in New York and the world above was the same. Those two moved to a completely different land, transitioning from rural country-sides to diversity and mainstream.

"That sucks, bro." He agreed. "We should do something nice for her." He suggested. Raphael nodded his head. Then, he gave Michelangelo the card to put back with the picture.

"Alright, I'll sleep on it." Raphael was just about to leave until Michelangelo called to him.

"You're going back to sleep?!" The boy just woke up, how much more sleep could he get?

"Yep, or at least try." He yawned, but his thoughts were still doubtful as he left the girl's room. "After that little scream fest of yours, I swear I'll be up for a while."

"YOU MEAN LIKE THIS?!" He screamed on top of his lungs. Behind the stone walls, the older brother cupped his hands over his ears, trying to drown out his young brother's taunting. The orange clad turtle giggled loud enough for his brother to hear before he tried to make the room look like it had been untouched as Mona had left it earlier.


	25. Try Again Tomorrow

Over in China, the sun only let its tip show on the horizon, but was absent from the sight of the mountains. The sky was pink and purple overhead, readying the people and animals below for the numerous stars the night was going to present. In the Wu Kwan, Miwa was by herself. The Ancient One had retired to his quarters moments after eating. If there was anything better he liked to do other than eating was sleeping after a good meal. The woman sat on her bed. She sat criss cross, planning on whether or not to ready herself for bed or look after the missing turtle. Hours earlier, Venus left to scope out the nearby village for any Foot soldiers snooping around. The young turtle informed her that she would be back before nightfall, but by the position of the sun, that was soon to come.

Making the decision for her, she heard a faint noise far from her room. It sounded much like the door was being opened and closed. Her assumptions were confirmed as she heard footsteps on the hardwood floor as someone searched for her.

"I'm in here." Miwa called behind her door. It didn't take long until Venus appeared in the hallway. The turtle smirked as she came through the door. "I thought I had to come out after you." Miwa commented as Venus sat next to her on the bed. It bounced some due to her weight. She looked disappointed. Miwa waited to listen.

"I got nothing!" She belted from her throat. Miwa put a finger to her lips to try and quiet her for the sake of the Ancient One's sleep. Venus shook her head, although she understood; she had to let it out after being silent for hours. "Nobody looked remotely like the Foot."

"Strange. What have you done?" Miwa inquired. Venus shrugged her shoulders.

"I couldn't do much. The Foot are well aware who I am and what I have done to their organization." She could walk amongst the people easily now back in her homeland, but if the Foot are around, it has become a dangerous situation that could mess up their own mission or result in the downfall of herself. The stress was too much to bear. Everything was against her. She allowed her palm to hit her on the forehead a numerous amount of times. Miwa let her as she tried to work things out herself. "Do you know how hard it is to stick to the few shadows in broad daylight, plus my size?! Being up in the trees was my only outlet." Miwa shook her head. As a master of the arts, she normally would not tolerate excuses from her students, yet there were rare occasions where she had to consider Venus'. No matter how she wanted to imagine, she would never understand what it was like to be a turtle, let alone a ninja turtle. She grabbed hold of Venus' wrist with a loving grip. Slowly, she pulled it away from her forehead. There was no resistance from Venus, but she kept her head low.

"Perhaps that is why you could not retrieve any information?" the woman suggested. The turtle shook her head. Then, she leaned far forward. In doing so, the rest of her body followed. The bed bounced as the turtle fell. Her head landed in the lap of her former master's lap. She stretched her body out, legs sticking out and arms tucked underneath her body. Miwa took a hand to stroke her head sweetly.

"Wish I could say yes, but being up there gave me a clear view below. No Foot were down there today." Miwa's hand motions changed from stroking in straight lines to circles just above her brow. Venus let her shoulders relax and fall into her lap. "Maybe they moved on to another village." She suggested while looking up. Miwa didn't stop her strokes, which Venus had hoped not to happen. The woman just kept her gaze up, thinking.

"Maybe so," she nodded. "But the people said they've been there for days. Try again tomorrow, okay?" Venus felt her leaning over her head. Miwa's stomach curled and fell over her as she leaned to look at her in the eye. She could see a single lime orb look back at her. Seeing her made the terrapin smile and look back down to the sheets.

"Alright." She was unsure, but agreed to give it another try. A content sound came from Miwa's throat.

They took the time to sit there together. There was no rush to go back home. Miwa lay back, her head rested on her pillows. Venus was not too far, lying down near her chest. She kept her eyes closed, letting her fingers massage her clothed head. It felt good. The loving feeling was something she had been deprived of since she left home. Also, nostalgia hit as she remembered being in the same exact position when she was a young child. Having a bad day and being upset, she would always come to Miwa to be loved upon and held. She truly was a mother to her when Mona was too busy to play the part. Even sometimes, Mona would be there with them. They'd all lie down together and forget their problems. Just sit and relax, leaving the cruel world outside the room's walls. "Leo's at home?" the question crept into her mind as she recalled the day silently.

"Yes." Miwa answered, her stroke delayed. "He left without dinner, again." Venus sighed heavily.

"Again?" she whined. Lately, the healthy terrapin had gained some nasty habits of not eating. Only sometimes he would accept a meal, but even then, he didn't each much. "What's wrong with him? He knows better than this."

"Leonardo has been slipping into a surly state. I see him cursing and punishing himself at the Wu Kwan, and then he is his old self when he is home. The exercises are getting harder. His mind is trying to juggle multiple things at once." She explained. Miwa stopped her strokes, recalling how she saw his struggle, both mentally and physically. With the disrupted caresses, Venus shimmied up the bed. Her head rested on the edge of Miwa's second pillow.

"I wonder what that is." She asked herself more than Miwa. The turtle let out a sigh.

"I believe you already know." Venus looked up. Her sensei looked up at her with sincere eyes. Miwa knew, and Venus now knew that she knew. Now that she thought about it, it probably wasn't too hard to notice based on Leonardo's behavior. The turtle smiled sheepishly, wanting to turn away from Miwa's face. Instead, she sat up from the bed, her body hunched over her legs.

"Yeah, but it can't be just that. He's struggling to admit something else. I know he is; I sense it."

"Nothing gets past those senses of yours." Miwa smiled. Venus turned to look at her. She let her teeth show as well, laughing between them. Miwa truly understood her now, and now she knew what was going on. Venus couldn't ask for anything else in the lonely world she now lived in.

"Can I get two bowls to go?" She asked. "I'll try to get him eating." Having nothing for hours, she just realized how famished she was. Miwa gave her a nod of the head.

"Of course."

Venus tried to open the door with a minimal amount of creaking. The sun had already gone down, so the house was very dark. She lit one of the candles nearby and took it with her as she ventured through the house. The two bowls she had taken were held in one arm held against her body while the other held out the candle.

"Leonardo?" She called. "Leo?" No answer. Her first stop was her own bedroom, in which she dropped her bowl off to reduce the strain of the balancing act she was commencing. With the second, she was going to deliver to the other turtle of the house. There was no glow against the walls of the house, meaning there was no candle lit for the other turtle to see. She really hoped that he wasn't asleep. Now she brought an extra for nothing and he was sleeping on empty. Tip toeing to Mona's room, she peeked inside, candle first. Sure enough, there he was; shell up and covered with a blanket on the floor.

"Leo. Leo." She whispered. His body had not moved, remaining as still as it was when she came in. The female turtle sighed. "I don't get it." She whispered. "You're not yourself anymore." She commented. Leonardo stayed still, his breathing was shallow. Venus turned her head away and walked off in the darkness to put the uneaten food in the refrigerator. Soon, she was in her own room, eating her food in her bed and in silence with only a candle as her entertainment and light source. In the other, Leonardo remained still. What the female terrapin had failed to notice was that he was wide awake. His head under the covers; his eyes and ears were open but did not dare to respond. He heard what she said. He heard her disappointment. Leo lay there with the idea of him changing dawning on him. He knew he was, and he hated it. Yet, he couldn't help it. That night, he tried to fall into unconsciousness with the thought running through his mind and an empty stomach.


	26. All Falls Down

On the other side of the world, things weren't as easy as anyone would think. A home known to have constant voices, music and activities were hushed. The dojo was empty because of the absent leader. No rat was instructing, but stowed away to tend to his bonsai trees. The weight room didn't let a single barbell or flat weight clank due to their usual user continuing to sleep nonstop. Michelangelo was nowhere to be found, but the inhabitants found it most relaxing in his absence. If there could be any noise not produced by the world above or the sewer itself, the genius was working in his small scaled laboratory. Minutes ago, he called Mona by shell-cell. He didn't know where she was and was too engrossed in his work to get up and look for her. When she picked it up, at first she was confused, at least, until he explained to her why he called.

" _I'm toying with my new drone. Wanna come see it?"_ he asked, clearly enjoying what he was doing. Knowing fully well that the fun activities of the house had slowed down, Mona would possibly like to watch him work and talk. Her sister Venus always did.

" _K."_ She assured before hanging up.

It didn't take long to get up from her own bed and walk to the laboratory. As she walked, she took in her surroundings. Raphael was knocked out (typical). Nothing moved in the room, not even bubbly Michelangelo, who had disappeared a little over an hour ago. Mona Lisa turned the corner to see another usual sight. Donatello was in his skateboard, custom made-chair with a screwdriver in his hand. The motion coming from the corner of his eye made him look up, and then smile.

"Dronie's coming along nicely." She leaned onto the table with a single arm supporting her, merely hunched over the already hunched Donatello. The excited turtle nodded frantically.

"Shell yeah! I just got it to move 18% faster than it was originally." The screw was tightly fastened down; securing the work he had finished inside. Donnie placed the screwdriver in the tray meant specifically for its kind. He leaned back in the chair, admiring his completed task with his hands behind his head. "Now, it should be flying up to 25 mph." he spoke dreamily. Mona couldn't help but smile. To someone outside the technological field, something not going at least 70 mph is a little pathetic, but he was so pleased with his work that it was nothing short but adorable. Then, the guilt hit her. Her toothy smile faded beneath her lips.

"I know this is a little overdue, but I wanted to apologize." Donatello turned his head inside his still-conjoined hands.

"For what?" He raised his brow, very unaware that Mona had done anything worth apologizing. She contorted her mouth, trying to think up the right words to say to him.

"For Mikey and I listening to your records without you knowing."

"Oh," He removed his hands from behind his head. His brows met one another as he leaned forward with his elbows in his lap. His brown eyes were soft in her direction. "Mikey told me you were the one trying to put them back."

"Yeah," Her head rolled side to side. "But I didn't stop him from looking through them and I was the one all in for listening to them. I feel kind' of bad for invading your space like that." She placed a concerning hand on his shoulder. He gazed upon it, and then met her eyes. He could see that she really meant it, the sincerity. Next, he put his hand on top of hers, patting it sweetly.

"No harm done." He assured her. Donnie may have forgiven her, but she didn't feel any less guilty. The mutant turtle noticed her concerning expression. It made him remember a piece of information he had withheld from her. It was only fair that he told. "I guess if you're being honest with me, I should be too." The lizard lady tilted her head. What kind of secret could he possibly be keeping from her? Honestly, with these boys, it could be virtually anything. "The other day when we were at April's, Raphael told me Mikey was going through your things." Before he could finish the last of his sentence, Mona had already lost it. Her head rolled over to the side, huffing a big breath out. Donnie cringed as he watched the lizard lady shuffle her feet and roll her head about in annoyance.

"Again? I told him not to do that anymore." Her lips sucked into her mouth as she thought. Donnie sat there, letting her think. If anybody knew, he knew that it was more important to think a situation through than go on instinct. Given that time, Mona accepted the fact that Mikey had done it and nodded her head assuredly. "What did he look for this time?" she asked with her head facing forward, one hand now on top of the chair. "Was it a panty raid or something?" she asked honestly. The first time was a bra raid, so the idea wasn't too far fetched. Donatello began to cough nervously.

"Uh… um… no." He tried to make his words come out smoothly, yet failed miserably. That field of thought was not one he would come across on the daily. Donnie didn't mind if someone else was talking about it, but if it involved his input, he was out of there. It's just something he wasn't comfortable discussing. Mona backed off of her snappy approach, seeing his vivid embarrassment. The turtle took the moment to recollect himself and answer the question in mind. "He was looking for that piece of paper we sometimes see you holding close to your heart." He admitted. "We know about the horse."

He waited for the explosion. He waited for that short fuse to be lit and terrorize his ears. He prepared himself for that scary, Chinese language to assault his security. He was ready for anything, but with her just sitting there, dumbfounded, the anticipation was agonizing.

"I didn't want it to be a secret. Yeah, I have a horse." She spoke straightforwardly and calmly. The confused turtle looked to his side, questioning himself. Was he talking to the right mutant lizard lady? "I didn't want to bring him up because I missed him so much. Talking about stuff I miss gets me all worked up, y'know." Her hands rested in front of her. They intertwined and stroke each digit nervously. "This place is too small for a mood-swinging lizard mutant." Her joke lightened up the room and snapped Donatello back to reality. He nodded in agreement, yet he's gotten a little taste of those mood swings monthly from her, but hey! They're not from her grieving!

"And I compliment you for not bringing that over our heads." He complimented with a light heart. Mona knew he knew that she could be a handful sometimes as well, but he and his brothers loved her too much and overlooked that little flaw.

"You're most welcome." She smiled wide.

The room calmed back down. Donnie's train of thought reverted back to his newest upgrade. Proudly, he took the drone at its base and got up to set it up high on a shelf, high enough that Michelangelo couldn't get to it on his own. The remote controller was already sitting there, waiting for it to nestle down beside it. Originally, he wanted to test it out after messing with it, but trying it out above ground with grass underneath its rotating fans deemed a lot more pleasurable and easier on the mind. Donnie set a sheet over it to ensure its safety until later. Mona Lisa leaned on the chair; a single foot was planted on the base of it with the ball on the wheel and heel on the ground to keep it from wheeling away.

"Seems like a little nosy turtle has been taking Splinter's words and ran with it." She commented. Donatello sighed, agreeing with her.

"Wish we could get him back or find out a secret of his own." For as long as Donnie had known Mikey (which is all his life), he knew all too well that that kid was an open book. Any secret he could have kept from him was shared with another brother, who would then tell it to him anyways. Getting even was going to be difficult. Mona looked up at the monitors that lined the other wall. The sewers were empty thanks to the cameras that lined them. The only one showing on the monitor was the main one that had eyes over their main entrance. If the motion sensors caught a threat that didn't match their own genetic makeup, a little ring will sound and the disturbed camera will give a picture.

"Don't you have cameras all over the place?" she asked.

"Define 'everywhere'." He asked with fluttery hand motions.

"Donnie…" She muttered under her breath, but he for sure could hear her. He giggled nervously as he sat down in his chair.

"We're cool, we're cool." He repeated, trying to keep any unneeded aggression from surfacing. "Uh, yeah. What's this for?"

"We're going to find his hiding spot." She proposed. Donnie tilted his head.

"Really? I never thought about looking for it. A spot created and inhabited by Michelangelo just spelled disaster to me." He chuckled nervously. Mona leaned over the table.

"So, you don't want to find it." She asked, looking into his eyes. His lips escaped inside his mouth as he thought; eyes wide. He looked stupid, but he was thinking.

"I didn't, until now." Quickly, he took a full length step and pulled himself inside the chair towards the monitors. Mona Lisa smiled and skipped over, excited that he got him on board. Before she could get to him, he was already typing and clicking away. He was trying to get every camera he could to rewind its footage until they saw the orange clad turtle. "Let's see what that little tornado's gone to." He looked up, helping Mona find which one caught the young turtle passing. Having it been a little less than an hour, it wouldn't take long.

"See, that one! Right there!" Mona pointed as the monitor once she saw a familiar shape blur by. Donnie immediately paused all tapes. He dismissed all but the one so it could be shown on the main monitor. Once done, he played it at its original time. It was definitely Michelangelo. The young turtle had a pair of headphones over his ears with his shell phone in hand. His dance moves were quite embarrassing, but who's to say when you think you're alone. The two held their tongue's as they watched him dance around like an idiot. Then, Mikey stopped for a brief moment. He turned to one of the closed off compartments. Lifting the door, he skipped inside and closed it back up as if no one were there to begin with.

"Okay, so he's in the back." Donatello concluded when he saw the camera number and located it on the virtual blueprint that glowed beside the monitors.

"Wanna see what he's up to?" Mona asked mischievously.

"No." he answered flatly. Mona cocked her head to the side, looking at him clear in the face.

"You sure?"

"Nope." He made the 'P' pop when he answered. Then, as if synchronized, both got up and rushed over to see what Michelangelo was hiding.

The two kids jogged out of the lab and entered the main room of the lair. Passing the bedroom, Mona stopped before going too far. She looked back and saw the red clad turtle sound asleep. Surely, he wouldn't want to miss out on such a mission. Donatello stopped some way behind her. At first, he was confused, but when he saw her climb up to the sleeping terrapin's room, he followed right behind her. True, he was nervous and scared for waking up the most unforgiving of the family, but if Mona was on board to wake him, it won't become something that could bite him back later.

"Raph. Raph." She whispered, shaking his leg by grasping his shin. Donatello climbed up beside her, just in time to watch the mass wake.

"Hrm?" he spoke under his lips. His eyes remained closed as he listened.

"Get off your lazy shell and come on." Mona urged.

"Where we goin'?"

"We're spying on Mikey." Donatello explained, his voice grasping the undertones of a giddy child.

"That sounds like no fun. Don't wake me up anymore." He turned his head away from them, hoping they got the message. But, neither one was too easily shaken.

"C'mon! Please?" Mona begged. No avail.

"Please? Pleasepleasepleasepleaseplease…" Donnie's head bounced with every mashed up 'please' he gave. Raphael shook his head in annoyance.

"That don't work on me anymore." He assured. Mikey was annoying, but Donnie was king of repetitive pleading. He's done it ever since he learned that it worked for him on his family. The purple clad turtle didn't stop.

"Pleasepleasepleasepleasepleasepleaseplease…!" Raphael slapped a hand on it face, the anger building up inside was a sure sign that his begging was working.

"Okay, fine!" He shouted, eyes nearly popping out of their sockets when he did. The sudden change in expression almost knocked his siblings off the edge, but their excitement in knowing he was coming along for the ride was stronger.

"Yippee!" The two raised their arms in the air, that was, until they began to fall back to the concrete. Their hands met the edge of his room once more to steady themselves, nervously giggling. A big puff of air heaved through Raphael's lungs as he prepared himself to get up. He couldn't believe those two woke him up for such a childish reason. As he sat up, the cracking sound of his spinal core felt good.

"If it ain't worth it, I'm kickin' both of yall's shells." The terrapin yawned as he spoke, rolling his shoulders. When he turned his body to face the exit, the two hanging mutants got down to get out of his way. With a push of his hands, he slipped down and landed on the concrete. The cold floor gave him a twinge of stinging. He looked at them both, smiling stupidly. Donatello pointed to the way with his stupid grin, having Raphael shake his head and proceed down that way.

"I don't have a shell," Mona mentioned as she passed the smiling terrapin. His smile quickly melted away, and then froze with fear. She continued to mock. "Have fun with that Donnie."

"Oh when it all, when it all falls down

I'm telling you ooooh, when it all falls down…"

There was no way Michelangelo wasn't in there. They could recognize that tone-deaf singing wannabe a mile away as they approached the supposed door he had slipped through. Raphael lifted it up slowly, rather wanting to sneak up him and scaring him with all of them in the middle of the room. It took some time to make sure the young turtle wasn't watching, but the sound part wasn't the problem, thanks to his own voice. Mona crouched down when there was enough space for her to see, she saw him and motioned with her hand to fully pull up the door. Giving it all he got was easy as the door noisily went up to its sitting place above their heads. He three of them walked in.

His headphones were still over his ears, most likely canceling out any noise outside of them. What he was doing left them in awe. In Michelangelo's hand was a paintbrush dipped in a pink hue. Each time it touched the wall, it left its color on a multi-colored, groovy patterned picture of a familiarized man on TV. The wall was covered in various patterns and shapes that made up colorful pictures that harbored in Michelangelo's mind. Some spaces were still left untouched, waiting for the last to be finished so that he may move on.

"She's so self conscious, She has no idea what she's doin' in college,

that major that she majored in don't make no money, but she won't drop out, her parents will look at her funny,

Now, tell me that ain't insecuuur…"

He continued to sing, completely oblivious of the three 6ft mutants ogling his art from behind. Donatello felt the need to be the one who brings Michelangelo into a completely horrified and embarrassed state after they have found his secret spot. He was the first one he violated anyway. The two stifled their laughter as Donatello put a finger to his lips and tip toed over to the painting mutant. Thankfully, the youngest one had put down his brush. Donnie wanted to scare him, not ruin his art. Besides, it was pretty good too. To add more hardship in their act of silence, the orange clad turtle did a little shimmy to the song, contemplating on his job well done. It was then, he had to do it. Donatello grasped his shoulder, hard to shake him.

The voice of a girly version of Bruce Lee screeched as Michelangelo turned around fast. His eyes were open, but his mind was blind to whatever that was in front of him as he began a series of ridiculous self defense attacks. None of them hit Donatello, mostly because he was just flapping his arms around, stomping on the ground, and spinning in circles. Sometimes he would karate-chop the air, creating appropriate yells with them. As the young turtle began to calm down, he realized what had happened. It wasn't some stranger or Foot ninja here to attack him… it was Donnie…. And Raph and Mona all IN HIS HIDING SPOT!

His mouth was wide open, as well were his baby blue eyes. All three intruders smiled slyly as they watched him process such surprise. Raphael even gave him a little wink to add to his silent taunting him his arms crossed over his chest. Michelangelo shook his head.

"What you just saw there was a little something I've been working on." He spoke evenly and unphased. "It's a combination of Jiu Jitsu, Krav Maga, Aztec Warfare, and Krumpin'!" He demonstrated each technique with the same moves as Lucy had from Despicable Me 2, all the way from the crane pose, to the hard-stop krumping. "Now that you've seen it, you can go now." He turned fast, what they didn't see was his face's return to horror, hoping to hear the sound of footsteps going out the door. Instead, he was met with only silence. They were still there.

"I just wanna know what you're doing." Donatello replied honestly. Suddenly, Mikey turned fast. A paintbrush was in his hand, pointing at the purple clad turtle's direction. He was trying to threaten him to leave or otherwise be painted upon.

"The area you are in is prohibited by your kind!" He yelled in an authoritive voice. Donatello looked down smugly at the shaking paintbrush and back up to his ludicrous sibling.

"I am your kind!" He shouted back, trying to knock some sense into him. Mikey nodded his head fiercely.

"Yeah! Even I'm not allowed to be up here! I'm a loner Dottie, a rebel." Raphael and Mona looked at each other. She mouthed 'Dottie' to him, quite confused. The knowing turtle shook his head and his hand to her, telling her that she didn't need to know. Donatello, on the other hand, had to let Mikey know.

"You think quoting Pee Wee Herman makes you any more threatening?"

"Shell yeah! Don't make me call Large Marge!" He threatened with a finger up to his face. You can't reason with the youngest of the terrapins. He's much too clouded wit his own thoughts and reasoning.

"We're just following Splinter's orders." Mona spoke over Donatello's shoulder. The purple terrapin turned his head just when she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah. You remember," Raphael added, coming up beside her, smiling all the way. "Getting to know each other better." He prolonged his words. Slowly, Michelangelo began to realize what was happening. They were attacking him with his own words. His head sank into his neck; mouth stretched out in a flat line.

"And what better way than to get into the things they don't want you to touch." Donnie's face instantly lit up as he looked up at the painted wall. He walked forward to the recently painted part f it. A single digit was pointed straight at it. "This looks like a good spot to poke." He teased as his digit got incredibly close to the drying area. Michelangelo was quick to act by grabbing his hand and putting it down by his side.

"Don't touch that! It's still drying!" He warned, not wanting to have his art ruined by the carelessness of his taunting brother. Knowing when to stop, Donatello believed he had gotten his brother back and discontinued his touchy antics. Instead, he and the other two mutants gazed upon his mural.

"I'm impressed." Mona Lisa nodded her head. She pointed up to the picture she had been staring at. "This is the Nightwatcher, correct?" she asked. Michelangelo smiled. The family recently heard and read stories from the _Enquirer_ and random people on the streets about a masked vigilante taking down everyday criminals and gang members. Nobody had actually seen or met him in person, for he would show up to stop them, and then leave them for the cops. Some people were able to take dark pictures of him on the rooftops for he only came out at night. Right when Michelangelo heard about him, he was hooked on him instantly.

"Exact-a-mondo!" he exclaimed. The piece wasn't ready, but his head and shoulders were outlined in a sky blue and white that would soon be filled in black and grey. "Isn't he great?! He's so awesome that he's inspired me to become a superhero myself." The eager turtle put both of his fists up to his lower lip, pushing his cheeks up as he reminisced in his idol and dreams of being a hero himself. Warmed by his imagination, Donatello threw a lousy arm over his brother's shoulder and brought him into him. With his being so short, he leaned over some to "whisper" to him.

"We all are superheroes. Superheroes of the night, in secret." Donnie proved, hoping he would have a revelation of his current self-worth. As nice of a gesture it was, Mikey wasn't going to have it.

"Yeah? But we don't have any cool costumes or famous names with incognito pictures of us on newspapers, right?" He listed. Then, his face lit up as he went over to the mobile storage bun that held his art supplies on top of it. He opened up the plastic drawer and whipped a paper out. This time, he threw the lousy arm up and over Donatello's shoulder. He pulled him down and close to make him gaze upon the drawing he had in his hand. "But, that's all gonna change when they meet the Turtle Titan!" Donnie took the paper from him and stood up on his own. Raphael and Mona, who were looking at the other arts he had, came over to look at the costume.

"Turtle Titan?" Mona asked as she critiqued the outfit. It was simple and dorky. A red cowl and cape was to be worn to protect his identity. The button over it had two 'T's on it, one bigger and offset from the other. He had a single long, brown glove with matching brown boots that could have been property of Robin Hood. An equally ugly brown belt fastened the brown cargo pants he wore with a kaginawa strapped to it and a turtle shell shield on his opposite side.

"The costume's still in the works." He assured upon seeing that critical look in her eye. The lizard lady raised a brow. The outfit was corny, but it had potential. She had to admit with an ugly frown and a nod of the head. "Can't you see it? Your friendly, neighborhood Turtle Titan here to save the day. Notice the keyword 'day'." 'Day' was accented with two fingers of each hand being put in quotation.

"We noticed," Donnie mumbled, handing the page back. He took it away so quickly that Mona was unhappy and scolded him. Raphael, on the other hand, was very disinterested and possibly disoriented as he stood there as still as a statue. "But I also notice that that slogan is already taken." He crossed his arms, head pushed back and rested on his neck. The young turtle smiled easily with a chill demeanor. His eyes were half-closed as his hands floated into a melancholy shrug.

"That's also in the works." He spoke much like the stereotypical hippie, so calm. He gazed upon the drawing last time before putting it back in the drawer. "It's gonna be so cool! What if I met the Nightwatcher? We can have like a superhero teamup! They can write a comic out of that!"

"I don't think the Nightwatcher's that kind of hero." The three looked to Raphael. He had been so silent and dead for such a long while, they assumed he was going to stay that way. Although he was speaking, there wasn't much animation left in him. "He doesn't seem like the friendliest of people."

"Which makes perfect sense for me to team up with him. Opposites attract." In addition to his explanation, he took a finger from each hand and tapped the tips of them together. "Batman may be broody, but even he needs Barry Allen every now and then!"

"Since when did Batman ever team up with the Flash?" Raphael questioned. Mikey may have been the comics geek, but Raphael had read his fair share of them. Mikey rolled his eyes.

"The movies, duh! I don't just read DC comics y'know."

"How long have you had this, Mikey?" Mona asked. She meant the space as her arm waved around her. The young turtle shrugged, forgetting his brother's ignorant remark.

"Not sure. I got started when I got my hands on some brushes and paints I found at the junkyard. Started off with small things like tagging the lair and our shells. Now, I'm a muralist. See how I've grown." He opened his arms wide to present his already seen masterpiece. Just for the heck of it, they gazed upon it again, wishing to catch something they haven't seen before.

"I knew you were artistic, but this is just amazing." She complimented. "Why would you keep this from us?" She heard him sigh. Her eyes came off the wall and to the orange clad terrapin. He played around with his lips, looking off to the side as he thought. With such a long pause, it was clear that it was hard to explain. Mona remained patient with him.

"This is where I paint my feelings away." He mumbled with a shy look on his face.

"Oh shell." They heard Raphael whisper under his breath.

"Seriously." The young terrapin walked back to the storage bin. His hands shuffled around papers in a different drawer. He pulled out a manila folder with 'Old Works' as its label. He pulled out a random few pictures and brought them back to them. He gave them to Donatello. Being the tallest, he would be able to show everybody the pictures at a reasonable view as he brought them down for them to see. Raphael sandwiched Mona between himself and Donatello as he too tried to get a good look at what Mikey wanted them to see. Mikey narrated and pointed as they stared at it. "This is when I found out that 'Cribs' was done airing episodes. Y'know, before it came back in 2010." The two looked to see the MTV logo done in dark colors with silhouettes of large houses inside the base of the letters. Having been cancelled along with the dark colors, Mikey must have been very upset about it. Donnie put the picture behind the other to see the next photo. It was a picture of a grey-scaled Kid Flash bust with a fallen, crying Artemis at the bottom of it. "Here's when Wally died in Young Justice. It was a dark day." His tone was flat, being he was still depressed that they did that to the comic relief, let alone not come up with a third season. As they viewed the grieving picture, Michelangelo walked away. He snapped his fingers multiple times, trying to get their attention. They looked up and saw him pointing at a portion of the wall to the far right of the room. The three mutants followed cautiously, watching the wall as they walked. As they came up to him, they realized that he was trying to show them another painting. This one was bright. The colors were mostly yellow and white with a giant blue eye. The eye teared up a green-blue color that dripped onto four small turtle shells that were color coordinated to indicate that they were themselves. "This is when I felt so good to have April in our lives. One of my intact pieces." He murmured. That's when they realized that his first secret spot was gone now. Having moved out, he had to take pictures of them to remind himself about the great art he had to leave behind. They lived so far away from where they did that he couldn't visit it on a daily basis. "Everything else are the events that led up to this day." He explained, extending his hand to the wall. Granted, there were many more works for them to view. "Laugh if you want, but this is my outlet."

Raphael shook his head, the corner of his mouth rising.

"Naw, bro. It's pretty cool." Mikey looked up at the red clad turtle. He expected to get the most from him, but instead or words of strong criticism, they were words of praise. Mikey couldn't believe it, and neither did the other two. He crossed his arms and took a step closer to the wall; his eyes wanting to capture every detail that could have taken hours to perfect. "You've got more talent than I thought." He credited. Mikey couldn't help but smile from such nice words coming from a notoriously crude mouth.

"Thanks, Raph." The red clad terrapin nodded. A paused occurred until the orange clad terrapin clapped his hands together loudly. "Now, if you could, please leave the premises." Instantly, he began to herd the group of three together and proceeded to shove them out the door.

"But-." Donatello began to protest until he was interrupted by the smaller terrapin pushing him away.

"If this is the outlet of my feelings, I need you all to get out and stop distracting me!" He explained playfully. Having got the message, the three stopped resisting and began to walk on their own. They looked back at the small turtle that looked back at his latest work, wanting to eagerly get back at it. The trio smiled to the ground. "I don't need ya'll watching me fangirl to my latest piece."

Not wanting to keep him waiting, the group respectfully began to leave the premises. Satisfied, Michelangelo turned and walked over to the storage bin to grab another paintbrush. Donatello and Mona passed through the doorway; Raphael jumped up and grasped the bottom of the door. It roared until his feet touched the ground again. Before he could pull it down anymore, Mona put a hand underneath it. He waited there as she ducked underneath the door.

"Oh, and Mikey." She called before he could try to put his headphones back over his flat ears. The terrapin turned around, a silver brush already set between his fingers.

"Yes, Mona Lisa?" he asked sweetly in a tone that was passive-aggressive. Mona smiled.

"His name is Nan." She stated. He didn't get it; face contorted with confusion. She giggled some. "My horse. His name is Nan."


	27. Not Yourself

"Wake up, Monkey boy!" Not exactly the words or creaky geezer voice anybody would like to hear early in the morning. Steadily, the loud noise woke the large turtle, but not quick enough for the old man. Already in his arms, he swung a bucket up towards the creature, letting it unleash its contents. The sudden cold made the terrapin jump up from his slumber. With both arms holding up his torso, he recalled what had just happened. His shell and back of his head were cold. Beads of liquid rolled down the side of his face and arms as he huffed and puffed. His head dipped down to see the attacker. Upside down, the Ancient One was in the room, smiling with a bucket of water in his hands.

"For real? Water!?" He shouted. For a second, he wondered if this was how Raphael felt when he would yell after waking up. Man, he missed the family. Every so often they would call them, but lately he had not been in the mood to do so. Instead of waking up easy and waking the rest of the family, he was stuck on the other side of the world soaking wet with the most ignorant being he's ever met.

"It's refreshing, I know." He sang, quite oblivious to Leo's tone towards him. The terrapin turned around from his mat. The latter of the water was on it rather than him. He wiped the remaining beads off of his arms and rubbed his eyes. "Miwa's gone to help one of her older students, so I am your teacher for the day." Leonardo placed his hands on his knees and looked off to the side.

"Yippee." He muttered. Soon, another splash of water hit him. This time, it stuck to his face a chest. The turtle took it by complete surprise, mouth agape. "Gah! What was that for!?" He asked as he rubbed his face to deter it from going into his eyes.

"Sarcasm. My thing." The old man replied evenly, with a sassy undertone. He then put the bucket down, which relieved Leonardo. Either he was done throwing water or there was none left; a win-win. The Ancient One turned and left the room to go do, who knows what. Hopefully, to leave. As much as a day with the Ancient One deemed tempting, it was hard for the American turtle to get up and out of the dampened mat. Man, he sure hoped this wouldn't mess it up. Who knows how nice of a mat it was? He didn't know there could be good sleeping mats. Surely, it wasn't his but he was borrowing it. If you borrow something, you're responsible for it while you use it. Now, that old kook had water all in it. Sure hope it dries before he comes back and uses it again tonight.

He stood up and stretched his limbs, then prompted to walk out of the room. With the movement of his legs, the top of his shorts were wet thanks to the water that dripped down his body. At that moment, he was really glad he didn't fall asleep in his skirt again. Yeah, it was compromised with towels, but that would mean it would be heavy and the watery flaps would slap his leg with every step. It had not been a glamorous morning, but it could be better. On the way to the bathroom, he passed by Venus' room. When he went to peek inside, she was missing. Leaning in with his hands clenched against the doorframe, he looked left and right. No 6 ft lady turtle in this room.

"Where's Venus?" He asked, voice echoing off the vacant walls. Out of nowhere, the Ancient One appeared. He kept his head low, only showing the top of his hat with his hands hidden underneath his robe.

"Are you concerned?" The words on his tongue lingered. Leonardo, already irritated of his presence, looked down at him with a raised brow.

"Curious." He tried his best not to spit it out at the older man.

"Mei let me in. She left a while ago." He explained. He now looked up to see the unhappy turtle stare down at him. Seeing it, he squinted his eyes (more than usual) with a sneer.

"A while ago? So what were you doing in the house?"

"Eating your dinner. It was delicious too." The look on Leonardo's face grew even more annoyed. Just to mess with him, the old man licked his lips while rubbing his stomach. In the back of his head, he could have sworn he heard a low growl. He opened one eye, staring back at one peeved Leonardo. "Have a problem with that?"

"Uh, yeah! It was my food."

"It was your food when you were done yesterday. You decided you didn't want it. I assumed that you didn't like it." Leo would have protested, but the man was right. Gosh, he hated to admit it. So instead of doing that, he just glared back at him, plotting numerous revenges he would like to inflict on him. What was even worse was that this measly little old man got him this worked up. That made him even more upset. Before he could try to blow his top, the Ancient One walked past him, continuing to rub his stomach. "Meet me at the Wu Kwan."

Not every day was going to be a great one, or even an okay one. At least one of these days were going to be awful, and that day was going to be today. Moments later, both the male terrapin and the old man were back in the main training room of the Wu Kwan. The Ancient One watched diligently as Leonardo did his stretches and warmed up the same way Miwa would make him every day. "I don't have a lot of time in my life, so I'll skip the explanation and the kung-fu words. Your katana, gimme." He asked ever so pushily. His impatient hand was outstretched with his palm up, waiting for a sword to be laid there. At first, Leo looked at his hand, quite unsure of himself. Was he really about to have a lesson with this bozo? I guess so since he drew a katana out of its sheath and pressed the handle into the old man's hand. With the leather in grip, his hand tightened around it and began to wave the swod around to get a feel for it. How much did Leonardo wished he would accidentally cut himself as he played with his katana. That would have made his day. As quickly as it began, the sword slowed to a stop. It now had its blade into the ground with the Ancient One leaning on top of it. "Now, we fight, single sword. Count how many times you de-arm me. I do the same."

"Very professional." The snarky turtle replied as he withdrew the last katana from his back.

"Begin." As quickly as he said it, Leonardo easily disarmed him. He barely made a thought to move until the sword fell out of his hand. The Ancient One scrunched up his face in a fake, scowl as he bent over to retrieve it. Leonardo stood ready with the blade facing the an. The straight expression never left his face. "0-1." He lifted up the blade in his grasp. A slight nod indicated that they begin again. This time, the handle was well in the older man's grip when Leonardo tried the same tactic. Instead, the Ancient One slipped it out of the turtle's for repeating the same manuever in hopes it would work again. Leo grunted with distaste as he leaned over to grab it. "Ha! 1-1, you ok with that?" He cocked his head to the side to look into Leo's cold eyes. The turtle gave him a cocky roll of his next.

"Sure." he mumbled. Again.

"1-2, try to keep up monkey boy." The sword flew to the right of the mutant turtle as he was being taunted by the old man. He even gave him a little victory dance with a shimmy of his upper body. It was irritating as he kept his cool.

"Okay." That Ancient One sure is a cocky one. Again.

"1-3. You sure you ninja?" Once again, the Ancient One beat him. What was going on? He's done this exercise millions of times before with Master Splinter. He had this. Angry with himself for being unable to disarm him for the 3rd time in a row, Leonardo fiercly punched into his hand before grabbing his katana. "You fine?"

"I will be." He shook his head 'no' slowly, but his answer was sure of himself. Again.

"1-4. This score is awful!" He cried with his hands in the air. The ninja turtle let out a quick, frustrated yell. The Ancient One smiled. "What is the matter?"

"I'm telling you, 'I'm fine'!" he snapped back, squeezing the life out of his katana handle.

"Are you sure?"

"Nothing's wrong! Why do you keep asking me that?"

"Then why are you so angry?" He swung at his sword, catching Leo's by pushing it down. Leonardo broke the old by pushing back. Now released, the turtle decided to swipe down at the annoying man. Instead of disarming him, the man countered by jumping backwards. The way the older man moved was nothing more than incredible for he moved back several feet. Sensei may have been able to perform such a feat, but this was a normal human being, not a genetically altered animal.

"I only get angrier when you ask me why I'm angry! I'm not, okay?"

"It doesn't sound like it to me." Leo stopped, planning to charge with his katana held up high. He was listening, but it was too hard to do so. "You are not yourself!" That triggered him, and he presumed his charge with a grunt.

"It's been a month and a half, you barely know me!" He swung twice, but the Ancient One blocked both.

"I'm here to help you, Leonardo." In another hold, Leo used the tip of the blade to get under the Ancient One's sword and flicked it up in one swift move. The katana flew up to the sky. Several feet away from them both did the sword fall to the ground.

"You wanna help me? Fine!" He threw out his arms. The Ancient One moved some to remve himself from the moving katana still in the raging turtle's hand. "This lesson, I mastered it years ago! YEARS AGO!" He screamed with a growl in his throat. The Ancient One's eye crinkled to one side, staring into Leonardo's threatening eyes that were once open and welcoming. The man turned his back to him to retrieve the fallen sword.

"It is not the student's place to say when a lesson is learned!" He leaned over carefully to fetch the fallen weapon. Back in his hand, he turned towards the turtle with the blade pointing at it. The Ancinet One jumped at him, in which Leonardo quickly blocked. The turtle tried to jab, but he moved out of the blade's way. "His place is to listen and learn, you kumquat!" The metal clashed once more. Another block. A swipe went for Leo's legs, but the turtle countered by jumping it. As he came down, he swung downwards fiercely. The katana blade vibrated in his hands for it hit the strong wooden floor below. On his knees, Leo looked to the side to see that the Ancient One had moved out of the way. The old man slipped behind him, taking the advantage of him on the ground. A strike meant for the head was easily avoided when the turtle rolled onto his feet. He could have taken his head off! This was a disarming lesson, not a full-out combat lesson! What was he thinking?! Such a move festered his blood.

"You are not my teacher! Miwa is!" He charged, creating another lock-hold between the two.

"And I am hers! What would she think if she finds out you have been badmouthing her own sensei?" Another swipe from the turtle. The Ancient One caught it with a swing of his own. Another swing towards Leo's head. He ducked down just in time. Again?! Blooding already boiling, he tried to go for the Ancient One's shoulder. The old man moved away. He noticed that that move was on purpose. Leonardo truly tried to hurt him. Just what he wanted. They locked up swords again. "You are much like a fizzy soda. One day, all the internal pressure will build up and uncork."

"If you don't like it, why don't you just leave?" He spat. Then, unexpectedly, he drove his shoulder into him, shaking the old man off of his body. Leonardo just shoved an old man. It didn't matter who he was. The Ancient One, although a little disoriented, got back into the game.

"Because, you are in need of help!" Again, the swords make contact with one another, but this time, the two pushed against one another hard. It was Leonardo versus the Ancient One in the most heated and bizarre power struggle ever. Evenly, the swords began to favor Leonardo as the old man was pushed back far enough to fall.

"I don't need your help and I don't need you!" he screamed so close into his face that his hot breath hit him like fire.

"Leonardo, STOP!" A third shouted. Before he could turn to look, Miwa had jumped out from the hallway and landed in front of him. She took two fingers and planted them into his collarbone. Such a move gave him a muscle spasm. It forced him to drop his katana on the ground. Indecipherable babbling escaped his lips; a single eye twitching. Then, the same pair of fingers stroke him on the side of his neck, causing another spasm. With a twist of her fingers, the large reptile fell to his knees. The air had slipped from his lungs moments earlier without his notice. Once acknowledged, he gasped and heaved for air. The sound of him trying to breathe was deafening for it was the only sound made in the room. Miwa glared down at him unapologetically. He deserved every bit of it in her eyes. The Ancient One now had both katanas in his hands. The powerful signs of leadership and honor waited in his hand as their usually wielder was on the ground panting. "How dare you yell at a Master of the Arts, my own teacher!" She screamed. Leonardo couldn't bare to look at her in the eyes. The air began to pump back into his lungs, but he couldn't feel anything but shame as she handed it to him. "I thought you would prefer someone who was more knowledgeable than I, but I can see you are not worthy of his teachings, let alone mine!"

In time, Leonardo had enough consciousness to look up at his teachers. In their eyes, he saw anger and disappointment, which only reflected the horror within himself. Never in a million years could he have predicted to do such a thing. He yelled at a Master, he pushed and tried to harm an old man, he disappointed his teacher. How could he do such a thing?

"Miwa! I didn't mean to-. Ancient One, what I said, I meant-. Only if-." He continued to stumble, too stunned not to think up the right words to say. He dipped his head back down and shook it. "AH!" He punched the floor. Although it was wood, the adrenaline kept it numb. The upset turtle rushed to his feet and headed towards the back. The two masters stood in the main room as they heard his feet plod and the back door slam. Miwa sighed heavily. She could not believe it had gotten this bad with him. The Ancinet One chuckled.

"I told you I'd get somewhere with him." He smirked at his fomer student. She gave him a half smile.

Venus was already in the suspicious village while such an event was happening back home. She had been up in the trees for hours as her own surveillance camera as she watched the people come and go with items bought or sold. Few hours passed and not one person was dressed in all black. Not even people dressed in dark colors were present. Reds, greens, and gold were the primary colors of the people. The absence of any suspicious activity bore the turtle. This was he second time she showed up and there was still nobody to watch and pay attention to. With another day of nothing, Venus decided to give up. She began to climb down the tree. The bark scratched at her legs and forearms as she convinced herself that Miwa had overheard a invalid conversation. Maybe they weren't the most sane of people, or those who wanted to stir up some trouble in the peaceful neighborhood.

"(Is that Chung I's little one)?" The voice spooked her, driving her a halt. Scared that she may have been spotted, the question itself eased her. She looked over her shoulder and down below. A familiar older gentleman smiled up the tree. He wore magenta and pink robes with gold and green accents. His head was mostly shaved with some hair left on top of his head that was done up in a small bun that stood up by the help of little supports. Despite his interesting 'do, the most distinctive characteristic of such a man was the purple picture of a dragon climbing on the side of his head. "(Not so little anymore.)" Venus smiled and shuffled to get down quickly. She jumped off the tree; her feet felt like they were on pins for not having been on solid ground for an extended period of time.

"(I never really was.)" She shrugged with an awkward smile. The old man chuckled. "(It's so great to see you Master Khan.)" She greeted with a bow of respect.

"(And likewise to you, dear child.)" He returned the favor, but only tipped his head for his age was against his back. "(What brings you back?)" His old eyes smiled. Master Khan looked like a "hard" person way back then (she's seen pictures of his younger years) with dark hair, tattoo, and physically strong body, but never was he not a kind soul to his friends and family. Venus sighed when she was reminded of why she was there in the first place.

"(Miwa got word that some mysterious men were walking around the marketplace. We have suspicions they may be members of the Foot clan, a terrorist organization from Tokyo.)" His feet shuffled around in place until he decided to walk slowly around the tree in a single circle. He stared up at it as he observed it.

"(I hope you do not mean the men cloaked in black.)" He asked, not taking his eyes off of the tree. Venus stepped over to the side for it was blocking his face for her. Noticing that she was looking for his full attention, Khan looked towards the turtle.

"(Yes, I do.)" The old man chuckled. He took a step towards the young and slightly confused child. She tipped up her hat to view him better.

"(Sorry to have troubled you. They are security complimentary of the Wizard's council.)" He explained. The lady turtle raised her brow in surprise. Never had she heard that the Wizard's Council, the place she grew up with, had any need for security. They were Wizard's for crying out loud. Who would want to threaten a league of magic masters when they can do the virtually impossible to anyone? He nodded his head; interestingly enough, his tone was light and enthusiastic. "(Yes, since your father has passed, we are not in the greatest shape. Order had been tossed and scrambled. The Council is in danger of disassembling if we cannot come together. They patrol the village to keep order within and keep the public's mind off of knowing what's really going on inside.)" The news was too startling for her to gasp. To cope, she took a couple steps back. Her stomach began to ache, thus clutching to it. The Council is everything. Without them, life as they knew it wouldn't have existed. It had flourished for centuries, but it may dismantle after the loss of the biggest contributor of the Council's history. The world would be overrun with dragons, making it a living hell. Others along with her father fought such beasts and banished them into an alternate world that could only be escaped by a special mirror. Her father devoted his entire life to watch over it. It was the last thing he did before he died. Now, all those years may as well go to waste of the organization he served were to go and render the world in danger of any impending Mystics. Seeing her pain, his face dropped the smile. A tired hand was placed on top of hers. Venus loked up to see his concerned eyes. "(Please, do not spread word of this. There is no need for the people to panic.)" She nodded.

"(Of course.)" It would do more harm than good if she were to tell of such a problem. She agreed it was better that they were to be certain of the council's future before telling anything that would be upsetting to the public.

"(Again, I am sorry you have come this way for merely nothing.)" Venus shrugged her shoulders as she straightened up.

"(It isn't completely awry.) " her frown turned into a warm smile. "(I got to see family again.)" Her comment made the older man's day. His hands ame together in front of him; his robe covered his hands.

"(You and your sister are always considered my family.)"

"(Thank you, Master Khan.)" She looked right and left "(Well, since there's no trouble, I'll need to get back home.)" She admitted. Khan nodded his head as she bowed once more.

"(Okay, Mei Pei Chi. I will hopefully see you again.)" With parting words, Venus tipped her hat back down and walked in a direction away from the village with Khan idly stepping towards it. With such a long walk and a half-disappointing day, she reached out her phone and decided to dial up Donnie.


	28. Oh, Joy!

The lights in the lair were turned off. Only the glow of any neon sign or any peeking light coming from Splinter's quarters were visible. The living room glowed of dark brown light that were escaping the glass screen of the tv. Blocking it by creating shadows on the ground were the mutant teens sitting in front of it. Raphael, who ended up falling asleep on the couch, was groggily awoken by their play. To this point, they knew they shouldn't put their life on hold when it was always at stake for waking up the large terrapin. They tried to be quiet here and there, but it always erupted eventually. Rarely did Raphael contest them, but rather understood and tried to sleep underneath their noise. Having been asleep on the main couch and taking up all the space, Mona made a space of her own when she sat atop the main surface of his shell. The turtle didn't mind for she did not stir much with her tail wrapped to one side and a wii remote in her hand. On the opposite sides, sitting at the foot of the couch were the other two terrapin brothers, both with a remote in their hand.

Donnie shook the remote as it rolled a die for him. It had many pictures, but the one it landed on was a broken, black lightbulb.

"Awww!" The three groaned as the game blacked out with suspenseful music playing. In seconds the light comes back on a white marked Mii falls to the ground. He quickly disappears and a taping of his body is left on the floor.

"Okay, nobody rolls anymore blackouts!" Mikey announced. Every time they rolled that die, ⅔ times it rolled to be that one. Each one had to skip a turn at least three times because the murderer would attack them and render their avatars helpless.

"We can't control that, Mikey." Mona explained. It was her first time playing Clue, let alone playing it on a wii. Horror anything wasn't her cup of tea, but the lack of visual violence and the suspensefulness was addicting.

"We just don't roll that die." he explained all huffy. Mona shrugged her shoulders and pressed A while shaking the remote. She was able to move four spaces from the kitchen. Then, the next die came up. Donatello and Mona looked to Michelangelo for answers.

"Now what?" Donnie asked sassily. His upper lip overlapped the bottom in an ugly, over exaggerated pout. As ridiculous as he looked, Michelangelo attempted to mimic him. Donatello had the biggest lips, so his younger brother's was just a cheap imitation.

"We start over." He spoke with his lips still out.

"Please." The lizard lady ignored his suggestion and rolled the die anyways. This time, yellow caution tape showed up on top. The screen then temporarily blocked off a section of the house. A wave of relief washed over the three players for not one of them were knocked senseless this time.

"Hey!" The three mutants screamed, heads whipping around in horror in the direction of the sound. Raphael, also startled by the voice, shot his eyes wide open. He promptly lifted his upper body out of fear. Quickly, his body slammed against the couch when he realized who it was. For sitting on top of him, Mona frantically grasped the edges of his shell, supporting herself on both sides. Angel's eye were as wide as theirs at the sight of her "tough" friend's frightened expressions. "Was this a bad time?" She spoke in a low, unsure voice. "Why's it all dark? It's afternoon!" Once she spoke, the mutants began to relax. Some of them sighed to get their nerves out.

"We're playing clue." Mikey held up his remote in the air. The bright glow of the tv made it a shadow. Angel walked up to the arm of the couch to where Mikey was at. They noticed she had a large paper bag on her side, much like a giant gift bag. "Wanna play?" The young girl sat beside her terrapin friend. Everyone knew it, ever since they met, Angel and Michelangelo hit it off the best. Both acted like children, liked the same things, and said the same (of course with their own twist on it). Fast friends, they were.

"Naw, boo." She pushed the remote back to his side. Not hurt at all( or rather happy that his act of kindness let him play more), the orange clad turtle shrugged and rolled the dice. He moved two spaces. "Y'all got plans tonight?" She asked before he could roll the next die.

"I was thinking about-." Donnie was just going to explain how he wanted to give Dronie another test run above ground, he was rudely interrupted by the one who asked the question.

"Good! 'Cause we're gonna glow tonight!" She opened up the bag and put a hand inside. Curious Michelangelo leaned over to the top of the bag to see for himself. Angel, having him invading her personal space, gently pushed his head away. "Back off, Holmes." She spoke nicely, the turtle understood and complied. "I got some glow sticks, bubbles, and paint." She picked each item up for them to see as she listed them. For sure, she had more than one pack each judging by the amount of noise made in the bag.

"Oh, Joy! Glow sticks! Those are fun to hold and wave around!" The red clad turtle mumbled sarcastically. Angel looked over, confused for she thought he was asleep. She leaned over Mikey's lap to make sure that comment was from the turtle she thought made it. His eyes were closed as she snuck up to him, but when a golden eye shot open in suspicion, she backed off that theory.

"They're more than that Mr. Sarcastic." Her animated facial features were almost too close to the tired turtle's face. Raphael tiredly have her a gentle smirk, but soon his eyelids shut back down. The Chicana pushed herself up by using her friend's knee and sat up straight. "We're gonna go turn off all the lights and blast music with glow in the dark bubbles everywhere and glowed up faces." She explained. The awake people in the room nodded understandably, giving the notion some thought. They've been doing the same thing day in and day out. Train, eat,play, sleep. Maybe a little party was in order.

"And, what will Sensei say about this?" His eyes stayed closed, but the sass still lived in the groggy turtle. Angel audibly smacked her lips loud enough to make sure Raphael heard it.

"He said he's gonna be at April's. I asked ahead since Tay is gonna be out late. He'll be locked up in April's room." She explained flawlessly. Mona raised a brow, crouched over herself. "I've been here for five minutes already." Whoa! They were really into this game if they didn't hear someone come in, especially Angel. That could have been dangerous! Angel pushed the bag aside. She slouched over herself, both hands rested freely on top of her thighs. "The reason we're gonna do this is because i'm gonna be leavin' to Mexico soon."

"You're on the lamb?" Mikey's eyes shot open. "I can help you out. First, you're gonna need a knapsack, a new name, and a new look." Mikey was already in her personal space. His critical eyes gazes over her features as he held her face into his hands. He looked at her straight on, then turned it to both profiles to get a good idea. "You'd look good in a gotee."

"Would you g-." Her hands frantically slapped his away. After a couple, he gave up his grip on her "get off my face, bruh!" In a mock attack, she scowled and pumped her chest at him, giving him the illusion that she was going to hit him. Playing along, Michelangelo did the same. Within a few seconds of matched glares, both nonchalantly presumed to their relaxed states as if none of that happened. "I'm gonna go visit mi familia with my granma."

"Ooh!" Mona sang. "Sounds exciting!"

"It's gonna be a whole month or so of family, fun, and food! Food! Glorious food!" She began to sing the song made popular by the film _Ice Age: The Meltdown._ Soon, she had accompaniment.

" **Wonderful food! Magical Foooooood!"** Their arms went behind each other's back and pulled one another close as they howled like wolves. When finished, the two friends giggled.

"Wish you could take me. Bring me back some Mexican, a'ight?" The girl gave him a thumbs up and a confident wink.

"Sure thing, boo. So, y'all in for tonight?"

A vibration buzzed against the belt held so closely to Donatello's shoulder.

"Got a call." Not too long does the instrumental ringtone of Beyonce's _Flawless_ played until he answered to phone. He immediately bluetoothed it to his headphones as he slipped them over his head and kept his microphone close to his mouth.

"Is it Leo? Venus?" Mikey asked as he leaned towards the tall terrapin. His reach wasn't enough, not even when he fell over on the floor, now laying on his side. Before the eager turtle could check the caller ID for himself, Donatello turned his body away from him as he got up from his spot.

"Private." He said flatly. Before speaking the caller, he pushed the microphone closer and walked off for some privacy. He turned. "Count me in, Angel." And then he left the room completely.

"Hmpf! Private my shell." Michelangelo pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. Although a little butt-hurt from Donnie's vague-ness, he remembered Angel's idea. "But I'm down for it." Mona raised her hand.

"Third!" She announced. There was one more vote that needed to be accounted for.

"Raph?" Angel leaned over towards the napping terrapin.

"Hm?" His eye crept open. Mona, who had been sitting on him with her legs crossed up changed position. Her legs stuck out to the side as her torso stretched up towards his shoulders. She placed her arms right on the edge of his shell, which also supported her chin. Having such long hair, the falling tresses irritably tickled the back of his neck.

"You gonna stay up with us?" She whispered. He put her annoying hair off to the side to where it wouldn't touch his neck anymore. He shook his head into his arm when he tucked it back in its folds.

"Naw, I gotta sleep."

"Bro, you sleep all day!" Mikey exploded. Raphael scowled for he was screaming so loud and so close to him. Angel cringed as well, for she was still underneath him. "You might as well be awake all night." He suggested. The red clad turtle lifted a brow. Even with a single Amber eye, it scorched the young one's soul. It was like he was trying to confirm information from him. Seeming satisfied, he closed his eye back up.

"Sure." He spoke sweetly, then he took it back. "I'm not doin' it." His entire face then hid between his arms. Angel, who did ever so bravely, prodded him twice on his cheek with her little finger.

"Tough noodles, you can't say no. You live here." She ordered confidently and in short bursts.

"Why don't I say 'I'll be at April's'?" He suggested, sounding just as equally confident in his abilities.

"You think April has enough room to hide both you and Splinter from Tay?" She asked. Silence. "That's what I thought." The turtle then turned his head away fully. The back of it was shown to the Chicana as he faced the back of the couch. Mona, who had a clear view, saw that his eyes were open. Although he couldn't see her, she could see him being clearly irritated and out of options. With such defiance, Angel pushed herself back up and off of Michelangelo's lap. "You don't have to stay up… Because we're gonna keep you up all night long." She teased. Hyped with her answer, Michelangelo have her a hand up top, which she gladly accepted with a smile and a short exchange of positive words.

The ground beneath Mona began to move. She pushed herself up and slid to the side once she noticed that Raphael was trying to get up. He pushed his torso up and gradually moved his legs off to the side until they touched the ground in a sitting position. In steps, he got up and stretched some.

"Better get a head start on that nap." He spoke as he yawned some.

"The same nap you woke up from like...now?" Mikey quizzed with attitude. Instead of a straight answer, the sleepy brother waved him off and proceeded to his actual bed.

"Get off my case." He grumbled as he exited out of the Living Room, hoping to seek the comfort and quiet of his bed.

"Raphael wakes up every morning to go back to sleep for hours." Mona observed. She turned to Donatello, who was watching his brother leave. "You don't think he's sick, do you?" Donnie was silent until he gave her an unsure shrug.

"I would say yes, but he's not showing any real signs of sickness." He explained. Donnie turned to Mona. Immediately, a clever smile plastered his face. "When he starts bent nice to us, we'll know he's sick." The purple clad terrapin joked. Mona smiled back, believing it was all too true. Even so, she as well as everyone else knew something was up, but that was the only thought ringing in her mind.

"Tough noodles?" Michelangelo changed the subject quickly with his remark of confusion. Angel shrugged.

"I could've said tough squash, but I didn't want to come on too strong." She made clear. Mikey nodded slowly with an inaudible series of words that indicated his understanding. "Aye, Mona. Granma finished your outfit. I was gonna bring it but I left it over there, so I'll bring it over later."

"Eeeee! She finished it?!" The older mutant nearly bounced in her spot with fists clenched as she rocked them back and forth repeatedly. So long has she waited for it to be finished. Raphael had helped with the sizing and sewing together of the old mixed with the new fabric, and they got some inspiration from April as well as getting started on the top, but she had long awaited for the finished product done by granma. Angel placed her upper lip over her lower one, smiling with them.

"Girl, you gon look FINE!" She nodded slowly with assuring eyes that pictured her in it. Mona clenched her teeth and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Tonight's looking like a good night!" She squeaked. Exciting jitters shivered down her body.

"So, what else is going down tonight?" Michelangelo asked; he reached over and grabbed the bag at her side. His blue eyes and hands searched its contents, getting a good look of what was in store. "Are we really gonna wave glow sticks around?" He played with a raised brow.

"I was thinkin' it's got a rave type of theme. We all gonna dress stupid, but we'll all lie and think we look fabulous. The glow paint can make it look like tribal markings. Yeah or naw?" Hand motions went along with every idea, from an eye cross and twirling finger on the side of the head to her thumb stroking her cheek.

"How stupid are we talking about? Like, I can wear a trash bag as a skirt easily."

"Think more along the lines of a crop top with a tie wrapped around your head."

"Oh, so Fresh Prince stupid style?" Suddenly, his voice got louder and more excited."You seen him and Carlton dressed up for 'Jump On It'?" The exclaiming turtle playfully pushed her shoulder. Angel lit up instantly.

"That's exactly what I'm talkin about!" She exploded with a higher pitched but equally as loud voice. "Fresh Prince and Boogaloo Shrimp!"

"That's my show!" See how they hit if off so well? The two friends shared a minute of laughter as they reminisced in the iconic scene of Will Smith and Alfonso Ribeiro dance around in their outrageous costumes for gas money. A show like that is timeless.

Mona sat on the couch, feeling quite out of place. She had been introduced to the show and enjoyed it, but not enough to recall its best moments. Instead of sitting there like an awkward lizard, she left the two to their recalls and scenario readings. Donatello left for a private call and Raphael left to sleep. Mikey and Angel gobbled away, leaving Mona as the only one left playing the game. She left the game just as she left the Living Room. The lizard lady didn't know what she wanted to do, but she wasn't going to stay in there.

The lizard lady decided on probably to go to her bedroom to find something worthwhile or to see what could be in the rooms along the way. To get there, she had to pass the bedrooms of the four terrapin brothers. That's where Raphael was seen constantly as of late. As she passed by, she was not let down when she saw a mass of turtle lying down high up on the wall. A thought hatched in her head. Raphael was not exactly clear on whether or not he would hang out with them. Honestly, he appears to go back to sleep every morning when he had just woken up, and the only times they see him not sleeping was when they were ready to. Even still, Raphael would sleep then. Puzzling, Mona thought. This girl needed some answers.

Not so silently, she jumped up to the ledge. Her fingers grew sore as they gripped the concrete to stabilize her.

"Raph. Raph." She spoke strictly. If she needed answers, she didn't need to waste time on the fluffy wake up call. Strictness did the trick.

"Why can't ya'll leave me alone?" He whined in the stuffing of his pillow. Can't a turtle get some sleep? Nope.

"You are going to stay up with us, right?" "We're kind'of worried about you." As she told her reasoning, the lizard lady was getting tired of trying to hold onto the ledge. She hoisted herself up to where her legs were able to crouch under her and touch his bed. Raphael, who was awake enough, shimmied up some against the wall to give the mutant lizard more space as she sat across from him. Maybe it wasn't the best move if he was trying to sleep by letting her in, but his mind didn't register it in time. "Since Venus and Leo left, you fell into some weird sleeping patterns." Her concern was clear on her face. Her body language consisted of both legs crossed and hugged together. Tension in her arms came from her for slouching back and using them as the support to keep her for falling.

"I'm fine, Mona." Raphael assured, his usual scowl on his face. Then, he began to roll to the side, taking his blanket with him. "Tell them that." That rock. He wasn't set on saying anything meaningful or sensitive or anything. All that child really wanted to do was sleep (don't we all?). Mona sighed.

"Ok, so i'll expect you wide awake? With all that pent up energy, you've got to exert it somehow." She didn't want to give this up. He respected her concern for his health and persistence, but he couldn't tell her something like that without it getting all weird. All he gave her was silence. That persistence heightened a little more as he felt the bed moving. Soon, something pushed against his back and sat atop his shoulder. "I'm not going to let you sleep if i don't hear a yes." Her voice was so close to his ear. If he wasn't going to listen to her, she was going to force it on him with full facial confrontation. Her arms padded her chin for they all rested atop his shoulder. She waited there for him to answer, trying to give him some time before she did anything that would annoy him enough to give her the answer she wanted. With eyes closed, Raphael couldn't help but show a goofy grin, in which Mona shared the same one. She knew she was being childish, and she was **the** oldest (by years!).

"Yes." He gave in. Mona sank in a little closer.

"'Yes' what?" She taunted. Raphael shook his head as he continued smiling.

"Yes, i'll go to your little party." He confessed, delivering the sentence in which he ended on a high and floaty note.

"And…?" She continued. Mona wanted more. Such a child.

"And i'll participate in some things."

"All." She commanded.

"Half."

"Deal." She accepted his bargain with a good nod of the head that could have sealed the deal. Satisfied, the lizard lady picked herself up and left the turtle peace just as he was promised after the pact was made. Raphael was able to fully extend his legs out as she left his room to possibly seek out her own. Before she could leave, she turned around to give him a lasting thought. "And if you break our promise, i'm gonna kick your shell."


	29. 911

"911, what's your emergency?"

"He is here." The operator sat in her chair, stunned. The man who answered back spoke low and grumbly, much like a disoriented creature from a horror film. It was distant with heavy breaths hitting the lower portion of the phone.

"I'm sorry, do you mind repeating that?" She apologized. The sound of his voice was chilling and spooky, and she was the 911 operator.

"He is here. Oroku Saki, he is here." He related, slow yet desperate. She reverted to her keyboard and began to type in the name. She tried her best to spell the name correctly as the computer sorted out every possibility. The first entry to pop up was leveled: Wanted; extremely Dangerous, with his mugshot to the right. The woman gasped internally.

"The one that goes by 'The Shredder'?" She asked, trying to hold her panic as she was trained to do. A moment of silence occurred before the man answered back.

"Yes, he's here." The woman listened longer in the lured silence. Although he was giving her information, she couldn't help but get a bad feeling that this man was completely disoriented, maybe even possibly drunk. Her ears looked for any clues. Yet, the only suspicious tip she could get was a low grunt that could be compared to a pig's. The operator clicked on a button labeled "contact" on the monitor. There was a button listed of the numbers of any emergency service she could send for.

"Okay, we'll send police forces to your location. Where are you?" Silence.

"I don't know." The voice hesitated to say. The operator was beginning to wear thin on patience. Now realizing who had now been found, it was critical that she send for reinforcements now instead of possibly losing him again.

"Sir? Can you tell me the location?" She asked nicely, yet very firm.

"He is here." The mysterious man repeated. The woman sat back in her chair. He had already said that. Normally, it was the ignorance of people who would withhold such information, but this sounded somewhat different. The man, with his moments of silence, inaudible noises, and the occasional grunt, it seemed as if his memory of this event was failing him.

"Sir, where is here?" She asked again.

"Oroku Saki is here." Click.

"Sir?" She asked to a cut line. Even without the information, she clicked for the police and filed her report on the information given.

On the other line, things were much worse than what the operator could ever imagine. The caller, team leader, Bebop, dropped the phone he had in his hand into the hard concrete. Upon impact, the object broke off pieces of the plastic. The shattering sound of the glass set off an alarm in his partner's head. Rocksteady was also in Bebop's room. The rhino was just as disoriented as him, but now a chain reaction went off in his mind. He was sitting on the edge of the pig's bed, hands clenched to the sodden supports. Suddenly, his head shook violently, shaking the entire structure. The edge of his nose, even part of his horn smacked against the concrete walls. The problem: he couldn't feel it. Many would dream of such a feat, but now, it was the worst case scenario. Bebop dropped to the ground after his legs buckled underneath him. His arms did not try to catch his fall as the large animal fell to the ground. His four fingered hands crinkled up by his face. A look of shock shown through his face while his body gave into violent spasms. Both shouted and groaned in their animal tongue, sending the room into a barnyard frenzy.

Not long did it take a team of Foot to rush into the room. Right behind them were the scientists who worked on them as an experiment. Dr. Stockman pushed past his colleagues to gaze in horror. A team of soldiers braced themselves as they went in to secure the Rhino whose base of horn began to ooze blood into his nostrils. Without stopping, the violent creature knocked over two unsuspecting soldiers. Once one got a good grip on his head, more and more hung on his head, pulling it down and forcing to lie somewhat still on the ground. Bebop, who was not as much flailing as he was spazzing, needed minimal restraint for the scientists to check their signs.

"This is not good." One of them looked up to Stockman as she pulled her cold stethoscope away from Bebop's rapid heart. She moved over to check Rocksteady. As she crossed over she made care to step over the dropped phone. His heart was no more in better shape than the pig. "Both are showing the same signs as the other two." She reported.

"Everybody out, now!" The scientist ordered. With another switch, Rocksteady began to flail violently again. His restraints couldn't figure out whether to continue holding him or to let go for their own safety. Those holding Bebop didn't need to be asked twice. Having to listen to the chief of this operation, all at one did the soldiers let go of the Rhino. Just as they let go, they sprinted out the door. Stockman slammed the door behind the last one and locked the door from the outside. Rocksteady wanted to get up and charge at the running men, being so confused and going with his natural fear instinct, but he couldn't. Just as he stood, his body fell to the floor much like the other. Unable to get up, he twitched on the ground, nose bending inward.

Outside, did the people look on. Those stuffed in the back stood in their toes to overlook the people in front of them to get a longer view of the two spastic mutants that caused so much excitement today. Earlier, they had checked on Tokah and Rahzar, who were experiencing similar symptoms. At first, they had believed that it was in their nature for the weren't the brightest of creatures, but after seeing that the former humans were going just as crazy, the idea was immediately whisked away.

"Stockman!" The surprised scientist had his coat murdererd by a hand gripping his shoulder and pulling him back. People behind him were nudged along and filled in his spot as he was pulled away from the group. As the people began to disband from him, it was clear that it was the lady Shredder taking him away. She looked worried, looking over the 6- footer's shoulder before asking. "What is this? What is going on?" Her hand was sharp and flat as all five fingers pointed at the direction of the freak show. Stockman took a breath, using his hands as a guide to calm himself as well as she before he could try to explain his findings.

"Mistress Karai… the changes we have been seeing overtime. This is the result of that."

"They've lost their minds?" Karai spit her words out, clearly upset. Stockman delayed his head nod, upsetting her more that what she had feared had come true.

"They're changing back. All four of them are doing so simultaneously. The green ooze we have used on them may have changed the turtles permanently but for them… This was just temporary." Karai shook her head.

"No. I need them, I need all four of them to go forward-." Stockman cut her off. Both forearms swung in front of his chest in an 'X' formation to make her stop her rambling.

"They're done!" He spoke firmly. Karai, although stunned that he had the surprise courage to raise his voice at her, had to understand and listen to her head scientist. Stockman was expecting some type of punishment, but after seeing her submission to actually listen to him hit him enough to almost forget what he was doing. In a minute, the idea came back to him and he proceeded. "Even if we did have enough ooze to remutate them, they won't act any better." The scientist turned away and waved for her to follow him. The people watching the show barely moved to let Stockman through, but once Karai's presence was known, they didn't think twiceto move away. Sensing that they were in need of a private conversation, a few left to watch the other two creatures locked in their room. The others quickly caught on and followed suit. Karai stepped up the the window. She saw the both of them, the pig and the rhino, twitching and spazzing out on the floor, looking as if they were paralyzed and helpless on the floor. "Overtime we've ran some neurological tests and diagnostics on all four. Slowly, their "brain power" has been decreasing. They're losing their minds." The female Shredder states on. From the pig's mouth, slobber ran from his fowls and pooled onto the floor.

"So, that's it? No more mutant power but we have two already stupid animals and now we add two incapable humans to add to the list." She sighed, defeated. Stockman nodded.

"I know this pushes back our plans, but this is all we've got."

Karai wasn't sure what to do. Her initial plans counted for the two of them to be her intimidation and manpower to her womanly reign, and now they lay helpless on the floor, destroying themselves because mutagen was destroying their brains.

"What do we do with them?" She really had no clue this time. Normally, she'd have a base plan for everything, but her mind was already too busy trying to conjure up a new plan to work around the absence of her mutant power. Stockman scratched his head.

"It would be best to set the animals free." He ingested. Karai shook her head, keeping her eyes low.

"You are right. I have no use for them anymore, let alone the space."

"But now, Jazz and Jonathan. What are we going to do with them?"

"Who?" She looked up, lost. Stockman raised a brow.

"The men. They had names before they became mutants." He spoke evenly, but his expression read 'how-can-you-be-so-ignorant-and-not-know-that-they-had-names?'. The woman lifted a brow too, but instead of being confused, she was telling him to not get too comfortable with her eyes. Seeing this, Stockman backed down by lowering his brown eyes. Karai may be shorter and smaller than he was, but forbid she was not intimidating. "Should we place them in a mental ward perhaps?" He suggested, voice cracking some.

"We do that, the government could track is down. We aren't exactly being looked for by the FBI now, are we? We kill them." The way she delivered her suggestion dropped a ball in the scientist's stomach.

"But-."

"Animals may live, not our problem in the long run. Men must die." Karai charged the words down his throat, wanting to give him no reason to fight them back.

"T-t-they" he stuttered. "They are people." The man nearly whined.

"Not the way they have been acting recently." She looked back into the window. The mutants were the same as they were. Overtime, their activity slowed down as their bodies grew tired from reacting to the change's effects.

It hurt to see them this way. If it didn't effect Karai, it did a number on Stockman. His own blood lay on the floor flinging his spine. Seeing the dilated eyes of the pig took him back many years ago. They were both back home, both adolescences at their aunt's run down home. He remembered Jazz, his dumb little cousin who would always drag him around to pelt neighborhood birds with a slingshot. Stockman would be reluctant at first, but somehow that little sucker would always reel him in, telling him that they can open them up and see what's inside. Biology was his drug, anyways. They did some bad things as kids, but as children, they were nothing but fun memories. And now, that same cousin was betrayed by him and was now losing what little humanity he had left. The guilt couldn't leave, for it hasn't ever since he tricked him into that pod.

"What if I can get them to think clearly again, just like they were before." He suggested, the words almost fumbled out of his mouth.

"Stockman, there is-."

"Please, let me try." He pleaded. Karai looked him in the eye. He was assertive, but scared. Whatever Stockman was holding back on, he felt as if everything were all on him. The female Shredder thought for a moment for any repercussions that could possibly fall back on her.

"I give you two weeks, but it mustn't get in the way of your current duties." She granted. The scientist smiled, nearly giggling that she had given him this chance to make everything right again. Noticing how happy he was, she decided that business was done and that she may now move on. Stockman looked through the window again. His smile began to fade for he now realized his deadline. How was he going to start? He wasn't even sure where to begin. Before disappearing from the hall, Karai called behind her. "And keep them locked up." She ordered. There was no need for any accidents in the fragile stages of her plans.


	30. Glow Night

"What's good familia?!" Angel's raspy call sought out every ear that lived underground. Standing beside her was April. In her hand, the bag of party supplies dangled as Angel carried her stuff to prepare her for the night and morning. Emerging from his quarters, Splinter sashayed out. He carried nothing but his current book in his hand for April insisted that she would take care of him fully.

"That's my cue to leave." He spoke gently, poking fun at the loud Chicana. As he walked towards them, she couldn't help but smile at the old man. He was so cute, even if he was a rat. The old rat came to April's side. April smiled, too for she realized she would be spending quality time with her first pet in years. Before trying to leave, the rat looked back at his children who had emerged from their hiding places. Raphael was even up from his all day naps. "I trust you children will be safe?"

"Of course, Sensei." Mikey answered. It didn't help ease the rat as his son made no eye contact to him and flung himself over to lay on the couch.

"You have your cell phone? Extra clothes?" April questioned. She forced the bag she carried into into her arms to make sure she didn't make way with it. Angel cocked her head, smirking.

"Yeah, mom. I'm good." She joked. The brunette playfully glared, letting her lips pucker as she stared into the playing girl's eyes.

"Funny." She flashed that genuine smile that you couldn't turn down, especially with those uniquely blue eyes. Angel turned away to keep herself from giggling in her face.

"No rough-housing while I'm gone."

"Hai, Sensei." All four mutant children responded, resembling a military residence.

"No going topside."

"Hai, Sensei."

"Bye, Sensei." Angel chimed in as she placed her hands on the worried rat's shoulders. "No offense, but we gotta get our party on!" She exclaimed. As much as Splinter hated it, she was right. His children were just throwing a party. They are old enough to be home alone and far more than capable of taking care of themselves. He turned to look at Angel. Although she was practically kicking him out of his house, her toothy smile read that she understood his worries, but there was no need for them. He was only doing his job. In turn, he gave her a thoughtful nod.

"I will see you all tomorrow morning. Have fun, my children." He wished. When he was ready to leave, April took his free hand and wrapped it around hers.

"See ya, guys!" She called behind her as she and Splinter headed for the exit.

"Bye, dad! Bye, April!" Were the last words exchanged to the older people as they shut the lair door behind them.

Wasting no time, Angel sprinted to where the stereo system now resided. She opened up a CD case and popped one on to play. Before it can begin to play a track, Angel sprinted back to the Living Room everyone was still at when she screamed out the opening.

"It's Game tiiiiimme!" She cheered along with the raspy woman's voice until the beat came in. The bass buzzed the air and the floor as the trumpet-like sounds whistled.

"We don't even live in Compton." Michelangelo commented, knowing very well that it was "Another Day in Compton" on the stereo.

"What you talkin' 'bout? Dr. Dre's for everyone!" The excited Chicana skipped around, looking to grab her party bag. "Ay yo, Mikey! C'mere!" She called once she got her hands on it. The obedient yet curious turtle trotted over in a jiffy. Angel dug around the bag with the title leaning over her. "I got some Glow-duct tape." Once she found it, she brought it up for him to see. Sure enough it was a large roll of pale green tape.

"And…?" He didn't see what was so significant about the tape, but with that kind of enthusiasm she had, something was about to go down.

"I have an idea for ya crummy basketball court." He knew it (the idea, not the court). "That chalk ain't holdin' up at all. So… why don't we line this on the floor? You can see it when it gets dim AND it makes the crib look good!" Hmmm. Where they wanted to put the dojo, they decided to change it into a different type of room. You could still get your workout on with the punching bag and weights, but push it aside and you have a fun half court to play on. She was right though, the court sucked. The chalk lines easily disappeared over the smooth concrete, which called for reapplication. It also called for disputes since the free throw and three point line constantly had been moved back and forth.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah!" He nodded frantically with his tongue lolling to the side. "Hey, can we put it on the backboard, too!?" Both of his hands clasped together and were forced into her face. That big lower lip stick out, complemented by pleading eyes. The Chicana, with a big heart, patted him gently atop the head as if he were a begging puppy.

"If we got enough." She smiled in his face. Nonchalantly, he mouthed 'yeah?' with a nod. Right back at him, she nodded excitedly, assuring him. Her small grasp took up as much of his wrist as she squeezed it and pulled him behind her. "C'mon, let's go!"

Before their party could officially begin (which called for it to be dark aka after sunset, not during ((Angel's rules)).), both Angel and Michelangelo spent a good thirty minutes recreating their basketball court. Mikey would hold the end of the tape while Angel let the cardboard ring spin about her fingers. The biggest challenge was getting the 3-point line as neat as possible. Trying to create a nice, curved line with a straightforward tape wasn't the easiest. Trial and error had to occur with reapplication, cutting, and the removal of faulty lines. At one point, Mikey feared there wouldn't be enough for his backboard idea. Just as they were finishing their final line, the cardboard ring began to peel off with the tape. The turtle was devastated. In circles around the calm Angel, he ran, waving his hands around and screaming 'No!'. In the middle of it all, the Chicana smiled, giggled to herself. Her weird actions were questioned by the turtle, but not enough to get him to stop running. Finally, Angel gave up the jig and went over to her bag. She found what she needed and sat back down on the free throw line. Michelangelo continued to run in circles. Nonchalantly, Angel took the new roll of tape and spun it around a single finger, acting as a small hula hoop. Michelangelo took forever to take a hint. The turtle eventually looked at his relaxed friend. She smiled as he slowed down his running and his expression dropped.

"You!" He pointed, scowling. How dare she just let him freak out like that? Sure, it was something small, but still, she left a turtle hanging.

"You wanna put this up or what?" She asked with a sassy attitude, but she was sarcastic all the same. Soon, that crummy old court was decked out in glow in the dark tape lining it and pulling the whole room together.

Meanwhile the court was being updated, others were also prepping for the party. Mona and Donnie were busy themselves, creating, salvaging, and putting together a "stupid" outfit. Mikey and Angel already had theirs picked out, so everything else was fair game for the taking. Even Raphael's was created by Michelangelo. Just as the bubbly, yet smart young terrapin predicted, the big brute only wanted to eat once he got up and didn't make the effort to create a costume. Probably not the best choice he could have made tonight.

Some time later when the darkness had taken over the city, the young teens officially declared the party started as they rushed to dress up in their costumes. Michelangelo was done way ahead from the others for he was very eager to put it on. We waited in the living room, lounging on the couch. He cut off the neckline and sides of an old Power Rangers tee. He brought the ends of it together in the front, tied into a knot to make a crop top out of it. A large pair of makeshift capris were complemented with a purple tutu that nicely went with his fluffy, pink legwarmers. Impatiently, the awful looking, yet funny mutant waited for his company to emerge out as he twirled the ends of the colorful tie wrapped around his head. Without a mask, it felt a little off, but he continued to play with it anyways.

"Ready or not, here I come!" Angel screeched.

"Let me see, let me see!" He called. In a different direction, the sound of clicking heels alarmed. The toe that belonged to a pink pair of heels popped from the corner first. It was later followed by a pant leg with a heart cut out from the thigh. Mona came around with a top that was cut and tied along the sides. Her pants were hoisted up by a pair of black suspenders. Instead of the usual ponytail, the lizard lady went for a 'Venus' look as two braided pigtails came out from either side of her Hello Kitty beanie. Just a couple seconds behind her, Angel entered in coming from the bathroom. Head with a thick bun right in the center, a neon hood sat only on her head and shoulders. The sunglasses she wore were the only protection to keep her eyes from burning from the vibrant, tie-dye rays that popped from her shirt. She custom-made it herself, cutting up the ends of the shirt and beading them together, creating a diamond pattern. Her long shorts were obviously pants before she cut it unevenly. Then, there was no help for those old converse she folded over with the saggy and tight patterned socks on her feet. "Eyy!" Mikey sang as a compliment. They looked truly awful (isn't it great!?). As they came closer, the girls realized that the other was present. The biggest smiles plastered their faces as they reacted to each other's look with the same response.

"Ey!" the laughed it out. Angel winked while throwing a pair of handguns at Mona.

"Girl, yo lookin' good!" The lizard lady put on her best Brooklyn accent. Her fingers dusted off the shoulder of her friend. Angel shook her head while looking at the ground. An outstretched hand went up to reach the lizard lady's shoulder.

"Naw, my sista, you lookin' FINE!" She shouted. Mona nodded. Her lips puckered up; fingers gracing along her own neck down to the top of her shoulder.

"You know how we do!"

"Where's Donnie?"

What they weren't prepared for was the geek strutting into the room. Mona had to cover her mouth with both hands to keep from laughing so hard. Mikey and Angel went wide with the eyes and big with the smiles. Donnie also went for the cropped look, but kept his sleeves somewhat in tact. As it being a longsleeved, striped shirt in the beginning, he used the leftovers as cheap leg warmers. Which was indeed perfect for there would have been a lot of leg showing given he was wearing probably the most ridiculous short shorts he could find. The ring of cloth left from when he cut the torso of the shirt was wrapped around his head, fastening two pink, string pom poms on either side of his head. If that wasn't ridiculous enough, sitting on his back in the most bootsy way possible, small, purple and fluffy fairy wings sat on his shell.

"Guess who's back!" He threw two hand guns, aiming at the two girls with a cheesy 'cool guy' smile flashing back at him. Both played along to act smitten, giggling all the same. "Back again! Donnie's back, tell a friend."

"Okay, so… Donnie wins." Angel announced. She gave the winner a quick bow, in which he took gracefully as he placed a chest on his chest and looked out into the distance like a king. Mona pulled the Chicana up from her worship.

"Nah, uh,uh." She sang, wagging a finger at her. "We haven't seen Raph yet." The overwater Chicana had to nod.

"Alright, c'mon Raph!" She yelled impatiently. Knowing what Mikey picked for the brute, it was going to be hysterical, but not like Donatello.

"No!" He yelled from the great unknown.

"C'mon bro, everybody looks stupid!" Mikey tried to encourage him out, but Raphael stood his ground.

"Leave me alone!"

"I got him." Mona groaned, following the sound of his grumpy voice. She turned the corner to where she had come from. Raphael must have changed in one of the empty rooms from the hall. The three other teenagers couldn't see what was happening, but they sure could hear it. Mona's encouraging voice was repeated overlapped by Raphael's resistance. He claimed he looked stupid while Mona assured him, even if it meant referring to herself. The lizard lady also brought up how he doesn't do anything anymore and it would probably get the others off his back if he acted like his old self. It must have worked for it got silent quickly. A few seconds passed until you saw Mona again. Trudging behind her with his wrist engulfed in her hand, Raphael came around. He looked so unamused with his rugged, straw cowboy hat atop his head. On his body, a black crop top with fringe ends and sleeves with a heart cut out right on the chest (Mikey's own doing). A long striped sock on one foot and a frilly one that matched Mona's ran up to the base of his calves or lower, leading up to his mid length shorts. Angel and Donatello did their best to keep a straight face. No matter how long you've known the guy, you knew this wasn't a situation to get him angry with. The Chicana kept both of her lips sucked in to keep her from smiling, laughing, or any other facial expression that could trigger him. With just the top of his lip in, Donnie kept his arms folded and nodded as a way to deal with any amusement. Surprisingly, Michelangelo wasn't laughing or smiling. He, too, nodded his head slowly. His bottom lip poked out as his chin rested in the space between his finger and thumb. If anything, he was criticizing his work approvingly.

"Nice crop-top." His response came out calm and evenly. Triggered with such a mellow response, the biggest brother growled.

"I'm going back-." He tried to turn himself back around, but Mona was quick to pull him back.

"Nonononononono, no!" She pulled him behind towards the Living Room. The warrior turtles acted like a child. Even with little resistance was made, he made sure that he was leaning back from the arm in her grasp and let his feet this. "You're going to sit out here and have a good time." She brought him to their flat,red cushion couch and pushed him back into it. The flimsy thing rocked back some, then stood upright after a couple of rocks. Raphael looked up at her, surprised at her force yet still upsets "You promised." Her finger shot at him as she scolded. Nothing gets the party started like scolding. Raphael huffed and tipped his hat to keep from looking at the older lizard.

"I got the paint!" Angel yelled. She had left to pick up her bag of fun and sought out the paint.

"Alright, alright!" Michelangelo chanted. The Chicana set herself next to the pouty Raphael. If he saw how much fun they were having next to him, she was sure he would engage. At the moment, Michelangelo was ready to engage as he plopped back down to his friend's side. "I wanna look like an Aztec warrior. Hook me up!" His fingers fluttered his stonewall expression while he explained his idea. Angel snorted, bringing her chin to her neck and placing a hand of her chest, looking offended.

"Oh, 'cause i'm Mexican you want me to do it?!"

"Ay, no, girl-." Mikey kept his hands up née his shoulders. His smile immediately turned into a guilty frown.

"In this case you lucky I come from Aztec stock, now hold still." She completely turned the tables on him. His appreciation was apparent on his face as Angel giggled while grabbing the small containers. "Yellow or blue?" She smiled while holding them up in his view.

"Yellow."

Her small hand opened up the yellow. A small finger was dipped until the tip wa engulfed in yellow. When she pulled it out, she had to scrape some of it off on the opening to keep it from dripping from her finger and onto the couch. She grabbed his chin to position his face the way she wanted it.

"Close your eyes." She instructed, in which her canvas happily obliged. Her finger started on the side of his face. She drew a line from the side of his face towards his eye. The paint skipped from painting his eyelids as she painted a straight line across his eyes and between his nose bridge. When she was done, Michelangelo opened his eyes. The look of approval from Angel gave him the confidence that he was going to look good. The Chicana continued, dotting under and along his eye between each cheek. On the floor in front of them, Donatello was painting Mona's face. She leaned forward, smiling at the tickling from Donnie's fingers as he dotted little orange circles along the top of both of her brows.

"Just about finished." Her tongue was slightly bitten by the side of her mouth as Angel ran her thumb down from Mikey's lower lip. His lip dragged down and snapped back to its original position as the line continued down his chin. "Done!" She exclaimed, wiping her thumb off with a nearby paper towel. Freshly painted up, Mona crawled up to see her work. Mikey giggled as both girls enjoyed the artwork.

"Hey, Angel missed a spot." Mona's eyes zeroed in on his face. Mikey's smile dropped. He went cross eyed, trying to find the trouble spot.

"Where?" He asked, concerned. Angel, too, was confused for she had no idea where the lizard lady was referring to.

"There!" Her cold touch lingered on his nose for her fingertip was laced with pink paint. His blue eyes went cross eyed again, trying to see the new addition to his look.

"Oh, now you've done it. C'mere!" The orange clad terrapin scrambled to his feet the chase after the already running lizard lady. Michelangelo took a leap of faith, and with it, he was able to pull Mona down. Before she could try to crawl away, the giggling turtle took her steadily by the ankles. He dodged left and right to avoid her swing tail as he dragged her some on the floor. In a few steps, he made her flip over by twisting her legs multiple times. When she got on her back, the playful turtle dove in to take control of her wrists and pin them to the floor. A leg swung over her as he squatted over her.

"Get off of me!" She squirmed, yet her smile never left. He brought her hands together and quickly put both wrists in one grip with an exchange. With a fresh glob of paint just hanging off of his nose, Mikey swiped a finger over it and held it just above Mona.

"Too bad Mona! The paint's a coming!" He smiled evilly, followed by a spooky chuckle. "Mwa hahahaha!"

"Nooo!" She whined, kicking her feet fiercely. Slowly, the painted finger came closer. "Donnie! Help!" She called. It didn't take long for the purple clad terrapin to find them. Mikey turned his head, fearing he was coming to stop him. He smiled guiltily. Donnie smirked, dipping a finger in a blue canister of glow paint.

"Oh, I'll help alright!" Before either one knew it, he lay on top of Mona's currently resting legs when he got the chance. Mona gasped in horror for she was betrayed, but Michelangelo chuckled. He pulled his leg from over her and kneeled close enough to her head that her hair was tucked underneath his knees.

"Ah! They're jumping me! They're jumping me! Somebody help!" She screamed, no longer mobile to lash out unless she wanted to imitate a fish.

"Ey! Ey! Don't abuse the paint!" Her savior had come. Mikey took his eyes off of his victim and towards the powerful voice. Looking down at them disapprovingly, Angel held up a container of green paint up high for all to see. "The color gods gave us this to enjoy and create art, not to get revenge on others! How could we be so selfish!?" She scolded. Although she was playing around, the two brothers looked ashamed for why they were going to do. Master Splinter had always taught them to never engage in revenge for it only causes more problems. Despite that, they both tried to double team on Mona. Angel saw the sadness in their faces. She remained firm while opening the lid to the container. A small pool of green entered the very palm of her hand. Her fingers caves in to meet it, spreading it all over her hand. "Besides, you gotta slam 'em like this!" Bam! Bam! Her colored hand smacked into Mikey's cheek and Donatello's forehead. Gaping mouths were wide in shock. She bamboozled them!

"Angel's on my side!" Mona exclaimed, wiggling her body.

"Get her!" Donnie charged, twisting to chase after her. Mikey released his grasp on Mona's wrists to pursue his latest assailant.

"Ah! Mutants in the sewers! Help me! HELP ME!" Her girly scream echoed in the lair. Angel sighed and zagged, trying to shake the chasers with her hands flying up high.

"Don't run away from this splatdown!" Mikey yelled, his hand now covered in blue paint. Donnie, who was trailing right behind him, held the container with a blue hand of his own.

"Let's go, Harlem!" He challenged as they chased her down into the kitchen. Mona had gotten up last, which meant she was in the back of the pack to go help her teammate. As she crossed the living room, she remembered Raphael's absence when she saw him hunched over on the couch.

"You're not getting in on this?" Raphael turned his head to see a painted up Mona Lisa leaning on the top of the couch.

"Paint's not my thing." He stated plainly. Although they were out of sight, his head turned to the direction of the noise cause by his brothers and their human friend.

"Oh, really?" She smirked deviously. With his head turned, he wasn't aware that Mona went in to slash across his forehead and eye with pink paint she had reapplied to her fingers. It was meant for Mikey or Donnie, but party-pooper Raph was a good bet. Just as Michelangelo did, his golden eyes zeroes in on the new addition to his face. He began to laugh heartily, steadily picking himself off of the couch. Mona stood up straight and began to back off as he came around. He smiled with his eyes closed, barely laughing.

"Hm… ooooh, you see that, that." He pointed his finger at her. The troubled lizard began to walk backwards, smiling all the same.

"Mm hm…?" She lingered playfully, knowing full well where this was going.

"That's where you messed up."

"Did I?" Her voice changed into a playful, yet horribly regal accent as she placed her dainty hand over her chest. Raphael shook his head, letting his teeth show on one side of his mouth as he smiled. Not before long, he leapt onto her. Again, Mona wasn't fast enough and slid onto the floor. Raphael's hands, instead of gripping her wrists, pushed her shoulders into the ground. His knees were at each of her sides as he laughed into her face. He was paintless, but her scared reaction was priceless.

"What's with you guys and pinning?" Her shoulders shimmied as she asked. They couldn't beat Raphael's hold.

"It's what guys do best." He smirked.

"Really?" Her brow raised. Feeling him lighten up some on her shoulders, Mona's arms sprouted forward and pushed him back. It was so hard that Raphael ended up on his shell and Mona now beamed over him. Just as he did, her hands pressed his shoulders back. With the addition of his shell on the back, she practically sat on his stomach with her knees touching the floor. Normally, Raphael would have been upset that he had been overturned by another, but now, he couldn't help but chuckle along with Mona.

"Got paint on your…" his head nodded into the direction of her torso. Mona grabbed the middle of her shirt and pulled it out to see. Plainly enough, a pink smudge embedded into the fabric.

"I found this in the trash." She replied with a smile, assuring him it was fine. Neither one knew whether or not it was washable paint, but at least it was a trash item.

"No, kidding." He smirked, noticing the small holes and little tears here and there. That's when the lizard lady noticed something. Raphael was smiling, laughing. It had been so long since she had heard such a noise or seen a genuine sight of him.

"See? Fun." She spelled out with a smirk. The turtle closed his mouth to silence his laughter, but kept his smile. His amber eyes locked up on Mona, who was utterly enjoying his own enjoyment.

"Yeah." The word lingered, showing the defeat that Mona was indeed right. A little giggle escaped her lips before she got up off of him.

"Get up you big lug." She extended both arms to help him up. Raphael swung his arms twice to rock himself on his shell. After the third, he heaved as he grabbed onto her arms for support. The last push gave him enough momentum to hoist himself up with the lizard lady's help.

"Mona! Mona!" Angel's desperate cries averted her attention. "Where was you when the homie was down?" She asked, clearly upset. Once Raphael was up she looked at her teammate.

"Oh-!" She wasn't expecting that. Blue paint was carelessly spread around her face. Some strokes were weak while others splattered, making it an uneven paint job. "S-sorry!" She held her mouth to hold in her laughter. She looked at Raphael, who, too, realized the hilarity and understood that they both needed to keep their amusement at bag. "I, uh, I took one down on my own." Her thumb flashed at Raphael. She took a moment to check his face to make sure her story was plausible.

"Hahaha, yeah , well I was fighting for my life in the kitchen and now look at me!" Both of her fingers pointed fiercely at herself. "I can audition for the next Smurf's movie!"

"What would they call you?" Michelangelo chuckled as both he and Donnie exited the kitchen. There were some traces of blue on themselves from Angel's retaliation, but she clearly lost that battle. "Chicana Smurf? Bigmouth Smurf? Ghetto Smurf?"

"Bootleg Smurf!" Donatello suggested.

"Yeah, that's the one!" Mikey exclaimed, grasping and smacking his brother's blue hand with his own. Their comradely was interrupted by the Chicana's overly done, sarcastic laughter.

"I forgot how to laugh!" She replied in monotone. Suddenly, a change in beat created a change in heart.

"Bust it." An old school guitar strum with a clapping accompanying it began to beat as she recognized it.

"Hey! That's my jam!" She exclaimed, almost completely forgetting the events before (the powers of your song...just wonderful.).

This here's a tale for all the fellas

Tryin' to do what those ladies tell us

Get shot down 'cause you're overzealous

Play hard to get, females get jealous

It didn't take long for the dance party to begin as one by one, the teens lay victim to the old school song. Donatello shut off the lights, making the lair completely dark. In a full sprint, Michelangelo made clear that every little light up toy and the fun lasers flashed and lit up the disco ball over head as they gyrated in the livingroom.

If you want it, you got it

If you want it, baby, you got it

Just bust a move

If you want it, you got it

If you want it, baby, you got it

"Just bust a move!" the four teens sang in the deepest bass of their voices. The only one not dancing, and still not joining in the fun, Raphael stayed on the couch, watching his family and friend enjoying themselves. Mikey and Donnie tag teamed stupidly, revisiting the popular moves back in the song's day. Mona and Angel stood back to back, pretending to be divas of the night. Every few seconds, they would dance solo or change partners while the sound blared.

Wh-wh-what you got a dollar in yo' pocket,

A 20 in yo' wallet,

See me stackin' money

Matta fact I let you watch it

Get big

Get big

Get big

Get big

The song smoothly changed in the mix to "Get Big" by Dorrough. Again, the bass voices returned as they fiercely sang the chorus. The ones on the dancefloor were having a blast. Mona Lisa was dancing with Angel again when her mind remembered something. Just as she thought, Raphael was still on the couch. His arms folded over as he leaned back in the comfy couch, watching them all. She broke away from Angel, who easily transitioned to dance with the other two boys. Raphael locked his eyes on the lizard lady defensively, no matter how inviting her were.

"Come on. Get up!" She grabbed both of his hands and pulled him up. He moaned and groaned, but she couldn't care less (or hear it because of the blasting music.) Easily, she guided him to where the fun people were at.

Watch me youngsters, mother-mother monster,

Pl-playin' with this paper like I'm playin' in a dumpster,

She hoped that bringing him to the circle would get him going. Instead, the brute stood there awkwardly, unsure of what to do but get out of there. Mona grabbed his hands again and tried to force the joy into him. In an effort, she pushed and pulled his hands alternatively, the simplest way to get a mere child to giggle and dance. This child, didn't as much giggle. But, a little smile was a start. He tried to hide it, but couldn't with the lights grazing his face every now and then. Mona laughed in the air as her little dance intensified. They levelled up to the little step to the side and stepping up into the other's arm and repeating on the other side. It was great! The whole family (more or less) were all dancing together, laughing and enjoying themselves. If only it could be like this every night, but it was all for Angel to go away with a bang.

A couple minutes seemed to be all Raphael could take. When it was Mona's turn to twirl him about with her arm over his head, he shook his head and put his free hand up at her. He didn't bother to look as he began to walk away, removing his hand from hers. Mona trotted off the dance floor to catch him.

"Had enough?" She asked, knowing full well that he wasn't going to make off easily. He shook his head as he eased himself back into his spot on the couch.

"Don't feel too good, ya know. Imma sit for now."

"You're sure you're okay?" She asked concerned, placing a hand on his shoulder. He nodded slowly.

"Yeah." He sighed.

"Why don't I sit with you-." She was trying to be helpful, but the brute shook his head.

"I'm alright. I ain't sick like that. Go on, go dance around. I'll watch y'all." He motioned her off with a sweep of his hand. The lizard lady was reluctant. He wanted to prove he was okay, but now, him not feeling well wasn't going to help his case in the long run. She felt guilty for not sitting with him and making him comfortable, but he assured him with his words and a calm posture. Mona made sure she didn't look down when she entered the dance ring again. Drake's very own "One Dance" began as she got back into the floor.

During the middle of the song, knowing everyone was far gone into it to notice, Raphael stood up and turned away, leaving his hat on the couch. He had to break his promise. After singing the chorus again, Mona looked up to the couch, expecting a large brute to be sitting there. She was furtherly disappointed to see a lone stetson sitting there. Something caught her eye and she looked up from the couch. There was minimal movement, but she saw something by the exit of the home. From the limited light, it looked like the door closed behind itself. Whatever that thing was, it was big and black. The wheels began to turn in the lizard lady's head. She leaned over in Angel's ear so she could hear better. The Chicana stopped her Drake dancing impression to listen to her friend.

"Hey, Raph's not feeling well, so I'm going to watch him."

"That's cool, boo. I'll see y'all before I go."

"Goodnight."

"'Night, boo." Mona was about to leave before Angel pulled her back down from her shoulder. "Before I forget, your outfit is in my bag in a flat box."


	31. Confronting The Nightwatcher

If New York could ever be quiet, I guess you would call this an okay night. In this part of the neighnborhood, traffic was down to a minimum for it was all residential. Day workers were asleep at this time of night as the night owls hailed the occasional cab to head off to work. One building in particular withheld some criminal activity that was about to descend. A blonde man dressed in dark grey clothing and a black beanie on his head climbed out the window of a home. He jumped on the platform of the fire escape, holding a carboard box of items in his hand. In the other, a small handgun angrily pointed at the terrified man inside.

"Don't let me catch you callin' the cops!" he barked. The one being stolen from whimpered with his hands up, hoping the gunman wouldn't shoot and end his life. Before he could think about leaving the scene, something grabbed him by the shoulders. The air from his lungs completely gave out as he was hoisted up towards the roof. "EY!" He yelped. As he was yanked, he dropped his box of goods on the platform on the fire escape. The terrified man peeked his head out of the window and looked up. There was nothing there. The theif and whoever took him had vanished. Nevertheless, he was ecstatic that he had his belongings again as he abruptly brought them back inside, sealing them with a locked window.

Abducted, the frightened theif did't know what to do as he was pulled up to the rooftops without any word or clue who his assailant was. The man's body ached for his body was thrown effortlessly into a door, just missing the brick wall that could have shattered him.

"Didn't I take care of you last week?" Oh no… that voice. He couldn't recognize it filly, but the tone was no less mistakable. As the other began to proceed towards the light, the shining glare from his black motorcycle helmet confirmed his fears. Underneath the sleek helmet, a pair of large shoulder pads rested on his shoulders. On his arms, more pads going down and along his forearm in the colors of black and red, adding a boxing glove into the mix. A series of four belt straps kept in his entire, hulking body. In all honesty, the man looked like trash. For starters, his longsleeve shirt was all an illusion. As he moved his arms, he could see the breaks in both sleeves, meaning his sleeves were apart of another article of clothing. Quite possibly, no sleeved shirt could keep in those hulking biceps he had. Lastly, a cotton rope was tied around his waist, keeping up a pair of long, black pants that covered his legs until his wraps hid his gigantic feet. He could do nothing, for any move could alarm the amazingly strong being. You could not imagine how hard it was not to squirm as he stepped so confidently towards his direction. The former theif could see his own scared expression in the cold glass until his large hand picked him up singlehandedly why the neck of his shirt. "I'm very disappointed in you, knucklehead." The being nearly laughed, clearly having fun with what he does (and this was the good guy, keep in mind.). His fist slowly rose up for the man to see. He flinched, anticipating the hurt. If he were more observable, he wouldn't just notice the massiveness of his hand, but the fact that he was missing a couple fingers. "Guess Nights school is in session."

There was a whistle. The meager little sound grabbed their attention as both theif and vigilante turned towards the source. Some distance away, there was movement against a dark wall. The person was leaning on it, arms crossed and watching the spectacle.

"Hope I'm not disturbing class." The voice was deep, but unmistakenly feminine. The vigilante's stance was altered as he held his victim. "Need any teaching assistance, Nightwatcher?" she asked smoothly and confidently. Wearing all black as well and with what looked like a hijab in the limited light, there was no telling who this woman was. If he could pick out anything, she was pretty tall. Catching that he had stared for too long, the Nightwatcher cleared his throat.

"I-I got this one covered sweetie." Slowly, he lowered the theif. When his feet touched the ground, he was completely confused. This was not the same guy that dealt with him last week. Soon, those assumptions were brushed off when he delievered a clear, hard elbow to his face. He fell to the ground, clutching his nose. Nope, that's him. "Thanks, but no thanks." The woman chuckled, which worried him greatly. Nightwatcher or not, any person would be wise to do such a thing. Instead of engaging, he stood there in bewilderment, wondering where this meeting was going to take him.

"You think you know these rooftops? I roam them. Thought you could use my help." She stood up from the wall. The mysterious woman walked towards him, in which Raphael withdrew a Sai in his palm just in case it was going to get ugly. He made sure he did it behind his back so he'd have the upper hand. Her toes stopped just before the light could hit her. The dark body rocked to one side with her hands on her hips. "I also think its time for me to have a cute little sidekick." she teased, but with such presence, she slightly meant it.

"Sidekick? I've never heard of you." His words of disrespect didn't phase her.

"'Cause I'm the best at what I do." How was she so confident and sure of herself? Does she know who she's really dealing with? If she she knew that she was dealing with the Nightwatcher, does she even realize who she's really dealing with behind the helmet? It kind of scared him. This woman could be more dangerous than **he** could have realized.

"Listen lady, I work alone." He put his sai-less hand up, trying to push her away with the air behind it. It also created a little distance between the two of them.

"Oh, really? You think you've gotten anything accomplished alone?" The tone of her voice proved cynical, irking him some. "You may have everybody else fooled but you don't fool me, Raph." her forearm folded over her bicep when her thumb jammed just under her collarbone.

"Yeah? Well guess what sweetie," the hidden weapon made its appearance as he swung it out of its hiding place. The handle was clutched hard against his three fingered hand. "I-uh, hey. Wait a minute." his posture relaxed some; the top of his head tipped to the side, hoping it would help him see the dark woman. "Who are you?" he sought out since he was unable to see any defining feature in her covered face. She shifted some. Raphael clutched his sai harder, anticipating her movements. The woman didn't want to give too much of herself away, but she extended her hand. It creeped towards the light as the shine overlapped her green, dull clawed hand with a recognizable gym glove strapped to it. Raphael's jaw gaped open as his eyes trailed up her arm. The appendage lead up to her dark head, still anonymous, but the light glared against her eyes.

"How'd you know it was me?" His body relaxed as he stood up straight; the Sai was put back in its place. Her hand retreated back into the dark and onto the side of her hip.

"Wasn't too hard to put the pieces together. Besides, you look like a giant metal turtle." She spoke normally. Without a doubt, it was Mona Lisa. The compromised hero sighed, flipping the glass up on his helmet. She'll to the light, only some brightened his features. Those Amber eyes looked disappointed for his secret had been revealed.

"It's that obvious, huh?"

There was some rustling. Both Raphael and Mina were quick to look. The theif, both scared and tired, was trying to escape the rooftop as the two conversed. He hoped he could try escaping by jumping onto the roof of the next building. Earlier, he looked down and his confidence shortened once he saw how far up he was.

"I should've stayed in law school." He whispered to himself, crying as he held one half of his body off the building, trying to see if he could simply drag himself over instead of jumping.

"Aww! He's trying to get away! How cute!" The lizard lady cried sarcastically at the struggling man. Raphael turned to face her. Was she thinking what he was thinking. Right when he caught her face, she gave him a short nod. A nod could mean anything, but this one meant she was all in. Raphael returned the gesture and flipped the glass back down over his eyes. Now, the two large mutants made their way over to the escapee. "Looks like I got a sidekick." She bragged behind him, now bringing herself into the light. No wonder he couldn't see her. From head to toe, the girl was covered in black. Even her head covering. The Nightwatcher scoffed at her comment.

"Yeah right, you're the sidekick."

That guy didn't stand a chance. With two trained mutants on his tail, he could do nothing as they bound him. The look on the cops' faces were priceless when they came to the building after a 911 call from the man who regained his belongings. Left on the front steps, the theif had his legs bound as well as his hands tied behind his back. They reused his beanie as a gag and left a note taped to his shirt with "NW" written on it. Neither Raphael or Mona knew what the men in blue were saying, but they were, without a doubt, untying the man and replacing the rope with steel cuffs. Above, Mona Lisa sat on the edge, letting her feet dangle on the side of the building.

"Why are you out here, Raph?" She asked while removing the cover from her mouth. Raphael, with his helmet off, was pacing back and fourth behind her.

"What was I supposed to do? Wait for Leo to come back and save the day? Crime doesn't take a break, and neither do I." He stopped his pacing and went to sit by her. At his side, he removed the flatted bag attached between a space from his body and shell. The bag was given a single shake to shift it to its 3D form. His helmet was in his arm, which he moved to his hand by pushing it against his body and pulling back his arm. With care, he placed it into the bag. He stared back at his reflection in the shield of it, wanting to make something of it. "If he wants to go off after having some sort of identity crisis, that's fine with me, but leaving us behind to go on a little vacation is too far. Hope he never comes back. Do you know how much more freedom I have here on my own?" His arms opened up to the lit up city around him. Surely, without anyone knowing, who could guess how many adventures Raphael had every night since they left. Mona left it up to her imagination.

"But you suffer by being ridiculed through the day." She countered. Raphael nodded.

"I can live with that." I mean, it was annoying so far, but it felt like something he could brush off.

"And don't you think you're a little too harsh on Leonardo?"

"I don't know." He sighed. "M' probably jealous that he got to go off and see a different country while I'm stuck out here. But, if I had the chance to leave, i'd probably skip off too, but I can't do that. Leaving this place is like leaving a piece of you, and why break off more pieces of yourself." The terrapin sulked as be breathed. On his face, he was fighting an internal battle of his own. Eyes unfocused, lips speaking to themselves for no audible word escaped them as they moved slightly. A hand went over his. It was a uprising. He looked at the gentle hand. A gesture so small collected himself some as he looked up into the eyes of whom it belonged to.

"Raphael, you're not broken." She assured, giving his hand a good, firm jolt. Her brown eyes stared into his, wanting him to hear, analyze, and understand what she had just said.

"Sure feels like it."

"You're not because I was. The real type of broken. Honestly, I believe you're going through what Leonardo is."

"A midlife crisis?" He mumbled. Mona an removed her hand and sat up straight.

"You're sixteen." She clarified, quite puzzled that he would suggest something so far fetched.

"At the rate I'm going, I'll probably die at 32." That earned a little laugh from the both of them. Mona was the first to stop her torso from jolting.

"You're trying to find out who you are. This is a normal teenage thing and it's hard," her legs began to swing, hitting her heels against the brick. "especially someone who is abnormal."

"You sound so wise," he looked back up at her; his eyes wanted to see if there was any more words of wisdom she could give. "and just about right." He admitted.

"I did go through this once before." The lizard lady chuckled between her teeth.

"How do you find yourself? Are there signs? Directions maybe?"

"You have to figure that one out for yourself."

"That's not much help." he replied cheekily. The turtle was smiling and laughing, but the lizard lady knew enough about him that he was using humor to try to cope with his situation.

"I can't explain it. It's like this" she brought her hands up, pretending there was something on each of her palms and brought her fingers down with a squeeze. "gut feeling that gives you a sense of belonging." In the midst of her uplifting sermon, her vibe was killed when her listener let out a long yawn. "I heard that." The tone of her voice warned him. Raphael could only shrug at his action.

"Little tired." He explained as one of his arms swiped across both of his eyes. A toothy grin crept onto the lizard lady's face. For someone who sleeps all day, just a little party and a beat down got him groggy. The terrapin scooted over when he saw her grip the she of the building and lifted herself up.

"Lets say we head back now and you get back on track with your sleeping patterns?" She asked behind her. He heard him chuckle, then there was the sound of somebody getting up. Leather creaked as well as unpopped bones as Raphael brought himself to his feet.

"We'll see." Before he could follow behind her, Mona stuck her hand out at him. The hand pushed into his chest when he ran into it. Unable to see it coming, he was pushed back somewhat to to the contact.

"Oh, no. No sarcasm. If I don't see you in your room with eyes closed and unconscious, best to find those Sais in an unreachable place." Her finger pointed down to the weapons at his side and back up to his head. The end of her scarf flew when she turned back around, trying to head home. Mona felt the loose end and grabbed it to stuff it back into place. "I don't know why you're laughing 'cause I mean it." She warned when she heard such a low noise following her. The way she answered was bouncy and full of attitude. Warning or not, he still smiled as he followed.

With the police investigating the apartment below, they had to go down another building. With a little running start, the ninjas were able to easily clear the jump that the theif couldn't. They used that momentum to get across the building faster so they could clear out of the area. Coming to the end of the building, the stairs of the fire escape began. She looked down below, looking for any lights that could mean either awake people and/or open windows. Thankfully, it looked like the neighbors left the commotion to the cops as they ignored the flashing lights and echo of sirens. Mona began down the stairs. Raphael stopped on the first step as she was almost to the second set.

"Does anybody else know about this?" He asked concerned. Mona stopped and looked up. His head was cocked to the side and appeared sad, like a guilty little puppy. She shook her head and responded quietly.

"No, but your biggest fan will be disappointed." That gave him a cocky grin. He forgot. Mikey was his biggest fan, and he didn't even know the half of it.

"Thanks for not saying anything."

"I hope you'll tell them at some point." She advised with a stern eye. If Raphael hated anything more, it was admitting he had been doing something he knew the family would disapprove. The turtle had a **lot** at that, and only a select few knew about at least one of the secrets. Leonardo knew about his Grand Theft Auto games. Michelangelo kept quiet about him watching his inappropriate, yet hilarious show "Blue Mountain State". Normally Mikey would use such information as blackmail, but he knew Raphael was a huge Alan Ritchson fan. He couldn't cut him off from seeing such a good-looking yet hilarious actor. And now, Mona Lisa knew about his Nightwatcher gig. As much as he would like to keep it between the two of them, this was a little too big of a secret that would only worsen when it takes longer to admit.

"Yeah." He sighed, knowing very well of the consequences. Leonardo and Splinter would seriously chew him out for doing such a reckless act. In his mind, he was already rehearsing any honor-value quotes they'll throw at him. Donnie and Venus would be mainly concerned, Mimey, oh boy. That turtle will be embarrassed. First he'll get embarrassed, then he'd realize that he should have brought him along to live out his dreams as...who was he trying to be? Turtle Titan, right.

"And I didn't come to nag at you." The lizard lady went about going down the next flight of stairs as she spoke. She took care to whisper by the windows in fear someone would open them and see. In black or not, both were strange shapes in the moonlight. "I came for you and your well being." her confession kept Raphael still on the first flight. The statement stayed, replayed in his head. Nobody's ever cared enough like that before, or at least said something remotely close like that. It just proved how much the mutant girl actually cared. Having someone that truly cares… it felt good. On the way home, the reason he kept a smile was not because he was trying to smile away the pain, but rather just smile to smile.


	32. Was It A Mistake

Across the seas, it was the middle of the day. Venus had left the troublesome Leonardo at home to deal with a mission of her own.

The unsuspecting terrapin strolled through the marketplace, dressed in her robe with her hat guarding her face which looked upon herfeet as she walked. Multiple sellers shouted out their greatest products and prices as she walked past them. She had one destination: to get to the home of the Wizard's Council. If Khan was 100% correct about its downfall, she could not idly stand by. As a wizard herself, she felt that she should investigate in its troubles after the Foot scare had blown over. After all, the cause of the downfall began with the death of her father.

She pressed on as the memories of she and her family revisted her mind. Time passed as the memory of training in magic together reminded her of how hard the phenomenon actually was to master. She was sitting in the old Master's room. The stone walls that held them together always forced the cold blooded girl to stick to the side of her sitting father. Instinctively, he would open one side of his robe and place its wing over her shoulder. Little Venus would quit her shivering as she realized what was happening. She would seek for the warmth as she scooted closer to him as he pulled her close and wrapped her up beside him. The young turtle knew very well that he had to spend the majority of his time watching over the mirror, which meant a great deal of their memories took place in that cold room. Her breath escaped fully through her nose, lulling her away from the reality in front of her.

Realizing her breath then reminded herself of the foes who took her father's older years away from she and her sister. Her lungs became hot; She felt like a drgon, and it was an awful thing to feel. If they hadn't sprung loose from their own universe and threaten their own, she probably would have been able to enjoy Chung I more than the limited views they saw of him outside the house. Before she could course the names of the dragons, Venus stumbled backwards. She felt another grunt in dismay at a distance in where he too had been pushed. The terrapin had no idea there was somebody coming her way, and neither did she. Venus tipped her hat up to see if the person was okay and was already beginning to give apologies in her native language. Suddenly, she froze up. The man, however, gasped and then striked.

He wore all black, the perfect camoflouge in the shadowed area just in front of the home of the Wizard's Council. His mask looked much like a man's, but it was a dark copper color. It was just who she thought it was when she dodged his punch. Judging by his coordination, he wasn't meant for hand-to-hand combat, but rather able to hold a gun. Out of fear, she took a quick moment to view his holsters. There were none. No holsters= no gun, and he knew it. Hesitant at first, he went in to strike her lower stomach with a side kick. If he wasn't so slow and predicting, Venus wouldn't have caught his foot in her large hand. Before he knew it, the turtle girl's knee pushed the inside of his. In result, he fell to the ground. Venus immediately got on top of his back to keep him from trying to retaliate. She wasn't heavy enough to crush him, but enough to not give him the chance to move neither leg nor arm if he'd desire.

"I knew you guys were out here!" She cheered, both happy that she was able to catch one yet upset that they were there in the first place. Her eyes gave him a once over. His mask shielded his identity and would be shameful of someone to remove it. In garments of all black, there was a white paper sticking out from one of his pants pockets. Curious, the turtle had the right of way to take it from him. The front doors of the building were pushed open. A small group of three men looked upon the scene. When they saw Venus pinning down a mysterious man, he three of them lifted their hands up and mumbled in rhyme. Colorful auras whirled around their hands as their magic reached underneath the turtle. Feeling the assailant secured, she lifted herself off of the Foot member. Their magic uplifted the beaten man off of the ground. He was unsresponsive from his takedown, letting his masked face lull and his shoulders pressed forward.

"(Master Khan!)" She shouted as she noticed he was amongst the three. The three men lowered their hands as the aura began to fade. Even so, their spell did not disperse around the thug. Khan approached the turtle girl, who fixed up and retied her robe. "(You see?)" She pointed to his coevered face. The old gentleman took a close look to understand. The rest of his collegues followed; All good friends of the family. "(He is a Foot member.)" Master Khan gasped in amazement.

"(Oh, my! This is not the security we ordered. How he was able to get past them, I could not imagine we are paying them much.)" He joked lighty for he was more concerned than jolly. He lifted his hand once more; the aura returned. The yellow color coming from his hands took over the mesh of yellow, purple, and red that shared the bubble the Foot member was in. Having reconnected with it, the body moved with his hand when he turned around. "( I will take him to our warden. Thank you, Venus.)" Not another word passed his lips once he headed towards the front door.

"(Master Guan.)" She called upon him. The silver colored man took his eyes off of Master Kahn, who entered the building with their hostage. His cold eyes became warm and inviting in the turn of the moment. A small, hearty laugh escaped his lips as his arm outstretched wide.

"(Mei Pei Chi. So good to see you!)" Venus walked into his hug. She felt his warmth and melted under his touch.

"(And I am a wiry chicken?)" Master Guan released his grip on the turtle girl, smirking at his friend. Venues lifted herself up, turned around to the voice, and smiled. Same as ever.

"(Master He. You mean much more to me.)" she assured with a nice hug.

"(How are you doing, child. And where's your sister?)"

"(It's a long story.)" she giggled, lifting herself back up.

"(Well, we have the time.)"

Old men sure love to talk. Venus knew very well of this but she couldn't help herself. She was a sucker for nostalgia while she visited her older friends. She exchanged stores they missed and they exchanged stories she's missed. The female terrapin was careful not to talk anything about the current problem within the Council. It was a time for fun and reliving old memories. Why ruin it?

Such revrie passed the time when she stumbled back upon the Wu Kwan of her home village. She opened the doors, bringing more light into the darknened room due to the midday sun wishing to vanish. Inside, the eyes, and only the eyes of the female master looked to see who had come. The student, too enthralled in his training, paid no mind to said person. Instead, he carried one sword in his hand. His grunts ended any move he made as he practiced his katas for the master to coach.

"Miwa." Venus walked quickly to her master's side. When Leo's head turned with his moves, he could see from the corner of his eye. The turtle girl bent over, her hand cupping in front of the woman's ear. A few whispers later, a slightly surprised look overcame the normally stoic woman.

"Continue your katas. I will be back shortly." She instructed. Leo nodded his head and moved. He didn't question anything, but watched the two shuffle into a different room, virtually leaving him to himself.

Minutes passed. Even the greatest of athletes are bound to get tired of doing the same thing for n extended period of time. He suggested that he may practice two-katana or full hand katas, but even that passed from his interest. As he was catching his breath, his mind wandered. Curiousity took over as he recalled the women from earlier. If Venus was whispering something to Miwa, obviously it was something she didn't want him to know. It wasn't usual that the turtle would try to sneak off and snoop, but the surprise n Miwa's face was too tempting.

He sheathed his sword while he tip-toed towards the hallway. There was no telling where the women have gone to talk since he didn't see them leave. Thankfully, the indication of where they were was a lone light coming from the entryway of the kitchen. The turtle was careful not to make a sound of his shell were to hit the wall and alarm them. He had to stand further down the hall to not give himself away by casting a shadow on the wall. His breath hushed as he heightened his hearing to listen.

"If we can infiltrate the party at this location, we could be able to find out who's behind this." Her thick, green finger pressed against the crumpled note. The weight of it made the paper crinkle.

"The Shredder has nothing to do with this?"

"He can't be after what I've done to him. Having the Foot here probably means somebody else is behind this."

"The Foot are in China?" Both Miwa and Venus dealt with their surprise differently. The female terrapin jumped in fear while the other turned towards the region of the voice with her hands up, ready to strike. Although it wasn't someone who wanted to harm them, she wished there was someone else standing in the doorway.

"Leonardo! Go back and practice your katas!" Miwa ordered; her finger darted to the other room. Instead of stepping back, he took a few steps in.

"But if you found out something about the Foot, I should be here to help." He offered.

"No. Please leave at once!" She shouted, trying to use her authority to dismiss the large turtle.

"But I should help!" He pleaded, grasping his hands around the top of the wooden chair.

"Your help is uneeded." She took a step forward. Her brown eyes felt like daggers, especially with the edgy makeup she wore. Despite his frequent outbursts, Leo refused to give in and remained calm yet firm.

"How long ago did you find this out?" His head turned to Venus, ignoring Miwa. Surprised, she gave him a look of shock, unable to say anything.

"Leo, go." The depth of the teacher's voice was lower than they have ever heard. The way she was trying to sink her fingers into the wooden table could only mean that she meant business.

"Were you even planning on telling me?" Leo cried, quite confused with the situation at hand.

"You are in no shape to help us." Her hand slammed on top of the paper they were discussing with earlier. To keep his peeking eyes away from its contents, she attempted to slip it underneath Venu's hands. Quickly cathing on, the turtle girl slammed both of her hands on top of it and discarded it under the table and on her lap. Just the upfront action made the turtle feel worse. His teeth cleanched as tight as his grip on the chair.

"I've really been trying to perfect the new techniques and moves you have shown me, I really have!" He shouted sincerely. There ws even a hint of crying behind it.

"I've noticed," Miwa's voice returned to its usual tone. It was wholehearted, but there was a sense it the air that she was going to continue to refuse. "but we made the decision that you are disabled from this situation."

"We?" He asked in shock. "Venus?" The turtle couldn't believe it as his head turned to look at the donwtrodded, female terrapin. There was nothing but guilt, keeping her head low and eyes shut to keep herself from looking him in the eye.

"I'm sorry, Leo." her voice was quiet. "You cannot be a part of this."

At that point, hs shck turned back into confused anger. The chair in his grip was now turned over for he pushed it with all his might. He was too blinded by anger to notice it landing harshly on his foot. His rage was not against either woman personally, yet that they were ignorant enough to not tell him a word. He's the leader, he should know all. Venus was now on his team. She follows him. The Foot are a Japanese organization that hit his home first. It's not Miwa's problem.

"This is my territory! I've fought them for years! Why would you keep this a secret from me? Wouldn't it be better that I at least knew?"

"First, this is not your territory!" Maybe the chair-throw thing wasn't a good idea? Her thumb struck her chest. The anger inside her, too, kept it from hurting at the heat of the moment. "It's mine," Then a finger pointed at the sulking Venus. "ours. You are on our homeland. Second, it is called 'Compartmentalization of Information'. This is a kunoichi's mission, whether you like it or not. Stand down, go back, and practice your katas." Her lasting impression was fierce, pointing a sharp finger towards the exit.

Within a second the turtle left, and not the one asked. Venus couldn't bare to sit in that kitchen. Both Leo and Miwa watched as she snatched the paper from her lap and got up from her chair. Without a word, she opened the back door and exited that way. Leonardo, quite fed up, turned around and left the kitchen the way he came. Miwa waited to listen to him angrily perform his katas. Next thing she heard was the front door slam.

Venus didn't go far to try to clear her head. For some time, she had the house to herself. It provided her comfort and sanctity as she sorted her thoughts out. At some point, Leonardo was going to come back home. Surely enough, he's going to confrot her. There was nowhere to hide. Her shell sank into the livingroom couch she laid on. How much did she want Mona there. She was the outspoken one, the one not afraid to speak her mind. This is something the turtle girl never had to face before. The only other time she did it was to her own sister, someone she's known all her life. This was a mutant male who was all dominant. How could she fish her way out of this? Before she could try to find the correct response, it was laready too late when the turtle male walked through the front door.

"Leo-." She tried to speak as she rose into a sitting position, but he beat her to it.

"Why wouldn't you tell me? I thought we were in this together!"

"We were, but then..." No words. She felt bad enough, like she made a huge mistake by not telling him. No. She did the right thing, but… the right thing hurts. It wasn't anything like her to keep secrets like this.

"Then, what? What is it? Then, what?!" Leo's words collided together, his facila expressions spazzing from his digging for answers.

"You've changed!" She spurted out. The sudden volume pushed the hulking turtle back from her. He'd never heard her shout so loudly. Was it women screaming on the top of their lungs day? She sank back down, holding her elbows in her hands. "I thought I'd never see the day that you'd disrespect a teacher of the arts."

"He was annoying and asking me the same question-."

"Wait, what?" She cut him off.

"When I told the Ancient One off, I didn't-."

"You did what?!" She yelled. Leo was quick to put his hands up to his chest, trying to ease her, but it didn't work. She was quick to stand. Sincerity wasn't going to work on this one and she felt stupid to try to give him that type of explaination.

"It's not what you think!"

"Disrespect is not up your alley!" She spoke, quite dissappointed. Leo wanted to come closer in order to calm her, but Venus wasn't ready to be calm. " I brought you here because you're a great ninja. A great student. Someone who wanted to learn more. I had so much promise in you, but now you've embarrassed me in front of my teachers! I brought you, I recommended you, and you repay me like this?" The bulk of the force was in her palms as she shoved him back and away from her. The male terrapin stumbled backwards, catching himself on the arm of another couch. He looked at his feet, just realizing he had been pushed by the normally gentle creature. When he looked up to see her eyes, they were swollen shut as sincere tears began to stream down from them. Dark discolorization settled along the bottom of the eye holes in her mask. Bitter tears irritated her skin enough that she ripped it off her face in rage. Wrinkled, she clenched it tight as every angry motive went into that chokehold.

"I didn't mean to do this-. I…" He took the hard hand ever so gently. She peeks through her tears, but then closed her eyes while her other hand covered her face. "Venus…" he waited for her to quiet herself so that she may hear what he had to say. "I gotta tell you something. I've been meaning to tell you this for a long time." The female turtle opened up the opposite eye when she felt something press up against her cheek. Leonardo took a finger and attempted to wipe a tear off of her face. Rather than appreciating it, she turned her face away in resistance.

"Just, stop. I can't do this anymore Leo." She jerked the hand in his grasp. With such a tight grip, he didn't let go of her.

"But I need to-." He was cut off by .

"Please. Leave me alone." Venus' voice shook, making way to the door.

"Where are you going?" He asked worrily. Venus was turning he nob.

"I'm a busy girl. I don't need a moody boy annoying me." Her insult completed the door slam. Leonardo stood there, quite shocked. Did that really just happen?

The air outside was hot, but enough to try to cool down the steaming girl as she walked through the secluded countryside. As a resort to keep her from going crazy, she reached for her phone. Her sniffles echoed in the speaker as the phone rang.

"Hey Donnie." She whispered when she heard him pick up. Venus tried her best to hide her hiccups.

" _Venus! What's up?"_ That bright voice lifted her spirits some after an episode of shuting matches. The turtle was currently sitting in his bed, searching the web with a laptop on his lap.

"Put me on speaker. Everybody needs to hear this." In the background, he heard him groan, one that meant he was getting up. Then, there was a huff when he jumped down.

" _Guys! Guys! It's Venus! Come here!"_ He pulled the phone away from his mouth to muffle out his voice from her. A few moments passed until she heard the voices of her distant family. Just that made her miss them all the more.

" _What's good girlfrieeeend?"_ It was unmistakeably Michelnagelo who sang into the phone. The terrapin girl cracked smile as she wiped her tears.

"Nothing good at all. I just tackled a Foot Clan member in the marketplace." There was a round of gasps in the back.

" _Which one?"_ Mona asked.

"Near the Wizard's Council."

" _Really?"_ The long pause was her thinking. " _Surely the Council can handle it."_

"Not really. I ran into Khan the other day. He said since dad died, the council has gone downhill fast. He even thinks they may break apart."

" _No way! Tell us about the Foot again."_

"There's not much to tell. He said they hired security guards to keep the peace, but I don't know what's going on."

" _Do you need us there? We can get on the next plane-."_ Before she could finish, Venus cut her off abruptly.

"I got it." She assured. The phone was pressed against her cheek as it lay between her head and shoulder. She talked as she slowly returned her mask to her face. "Miwa, the Ancient One, and I are on the case."

" _And Leo."_ Mikey added. Venus paused from her walk.

" _How's Leo doing? Haven't heard from him for a while."_ Raphael asked. You'd think from earlier the turtle didn't care, but he asked anyways.

"I got to go guys." She ignored them completely. There was an awkward silence on the other end. "I love you!" She sang. From her tears, her voie cracked some.

"Love you too, V." They mocked her with pitchy fairwells. The turtle girl shook her head, smiling. Gosh, did she miss them. Before she clicked the "end" button, she was stopped by a simple request.

"Hold on." Donnie whispered. He dismissed the family, walking away from the room they were currently inhabiting. The sound of a button being pressed shuffled in the speaker. He was turning the speaker off. "You sure you can handle it?" he whispered.

"Pretty sure. With Shredder out of the way, there must be a lesser powerful being behind this. He may be a rogue for all I know." She continued her walk. There was a dusty path in which she let her toes play in the soft sands. "I took a note from his pocket, so I'm hoping it leads me somewhere." She released the infromation to him. With Donatello as her greatest friend, she knew she could disclose such and have trusted him not to say.

"Just be careful, okay?" He asked, quite concerned. Donnie believed in her, but he wouldn't know what to do if she were to hurt herself. That turtle always asked that question when she was going to perform something risky. Sometimes, he'd admit that if any one of them gets hurt, he's the med guy rsponsible for their well-being. They'd laugh everytime.

"Always." She smiled into the phone. "Love you, Donnie."

"Love you too, V. See ya."


	33. Needed Me

It just wasn't sitting right with him. Donnie was spending most of the morning dwelling on the thought. Even with a nice laptop propped up by his stomach and knees as he lay in his bed didn't take him on an internet escapade as he recalled the message Venus had given him last night.

"Mona!" The searching turtle trotted around their home. His first sight was Raphael, who turned around from the couch. It was weird seeing him at this hour in the morning. Usually he'd be up in the earlier hours and continue yawning contagiously until he took a power nap. Strange it was since he'd changed his habits. There was no tired look in his eye, even with such a distance away. Raphael, without a word, threw a thumb out behind him to the left. The seeking turtle bent his torso forward to see where he was directing him to. Sure enough he was right when he saw the lizard girl sitting in the base of the water slide. Without the old tub, the slide was a fun substitute to bathe in (but now they had to take a bath in their swim trunks without a simple curtain for privacy if the girls were to stumble in ((they have to change in one of the empty rooms)).) The turtle's shoes scuffled against the floor. The lizard lady was almost fully submerged. Her back leaned against the wall with her arms outstretched along the rim. Having the water just below her eyes did not alarm her as she relaxed and held her breath. "Mona," she heard Donnie's voice and opened her eyes to see. He advanced towards her, hands shuffling and fiddling with one another as he came closer. "you're decent?" He asked. Yes, the girl was wearing a suit of her own, but she just looked so peaceful that he really didn't want to disturb her. But, he had to. A few bubbles emerged from her about. Mona sat up from the water. The fading sounds of the water slipping down and splashing back into the pool lasted a few seconds.

"As decent as it gets." She shrugged while smiling. Oh, good! She's in a good mood! "What do you want?"

"On the phone, Venus told me some things off the record. Normally, I'd let it slide, but now I think this is a little bigger." His voice was small. He probably didn't want Raphael or a snooping Mikey to overhear their conversation. Mona scooted in closer to him.

"Just tell me." She nearly whispered. The turtle was about to open his mouth, but then stopped. He appeared to be reassessing himself.

"I don't know.." His brown eyes drifted off to the pool. What was he going to do?

"D?"

"'Cause, what if I'm just overreacting?" He whined, not directly to her but more towards himself.

"D?" She sang, very sassily.

"But, what if I'm wrong about the overreacting and it actually ends up true? Then-!" He was cut off, but not with words. A lizard hand gripped his wooden necklace. Pulling it abruptly, it completely crooked his glasses as she kept him close.

"D, I'm gonna snap your Beats of you don't spit it out!" Her words gritted through her teeth. Donnie didn't notice but he was making quite a scene. If it had gone any further, he probably would have gotten a broader audience. Most likely two broad audiences. With an understanding, she released her grip. Donnie, slowly, lifted his torso up. He kept his hands up in a surrender in order to not further lay alarm the submerged lizard lady.

"No need to get hostile!" He half-joked, voice cracking. Mona raised a brow. They spoke 'speak' to him before things could really start getting hostile. Nervously, he swallowed a lump in his throat and tried to regain his thought process to explain. His crooked glasses were readjusted just above the slim bridge of his nose. Deep breath. "She said she found a note from the Foot member she apprehended. If I recall her words correctly, she's inclined to find clues of what may be happening over there. As her sister, I came to you to see what your thoughts on it were." There! Like a bandaid! That wasn't so bad was it? Well, except for that potential choking thing going on, but not too bad. Eagerly, he waited for her answer. She had turned away from him and looked at the slide before her. Her thoughts flowed like the water down the slide until they came to their end in the base, her conclusion. The lizard lady looked him hard in the eye.

"We got to get over there." She spoke evenly, like an affirmative order. Donnie took a relaxing breath and nodded his head in agreement.

"If that's what you want."

"Sounds to me, that's what you want too."

"I'm just concerned. Venus' my best friend and Leo's my brother. I'd hate for either of them to get hurt." Her lips curled into a half smile. Shortly, Moma lifted herself out of the pool. Large quantities of water shed down from her legs and spilled on the concrete around her. Splashing water and smacking sounds came from her webbed feet as she moved towards a medium sized drain. Mona took her towel and began wiping herself dry while the rest of the water dropped into the drain below.

"That's why we're headed to China." She cracked a smile as she flipped her hair foreword. With the majority of her body dry, she placed the towel over the top of the back of her head. The majority of her hair could not be contained, but that didn't stop her from twisting it around her head and knotting it up like an Erykah Badu turban. "But, when?" Her question lingered as she leaned against the side of the pool, hands gripped to the edge. "Surely enough, not a lot of planes leave from New York to where we need to go." Donnie nodded in agreement, repetitively fiddling with his hands. "Venus and Leo were lucky on that one." The two stood there in thought. How were they going to get there? I mean, like Mona said, how many planes are set to at least fly over such a rural area across the globe? Then, it hit him. He recalled some information he learned from a certain brunette friend. His "Ah ha!" moment sprang a small scare from the mutant girl, who had a hand over her heart to calm it down.

"I think I know someone who can help."

It didn't take much to convince Splinter to let them go. Although he was more than unhappy of letting them go topside, after nearly two years of doing so, he would allow them to help their family across seas (besides, we all know that rat could use a lot of alone time). It also didn't take much to convince the family either. Raphael was down because he was finally able to go somewhere and not be sneaky about it (and take people down in his own natural style). Obviously, Mikey was down with everything; he wanted to see a new world, of course help out his family, and look at some fine mushu. Y'all catch my drift? Mikey wanted to see some authentic Chinese mushu…. Still don't get it? Girls, people. He wants to see some cute Chinese girls (why do I bother sometimes?.)

At the movement, the teens got to the airport, the same airport they dropped Leo and Venus off at a while ago. Underground, they looked up at every drain grate, looking for one of their allies. It took some trial and error, but you obviously couldn't miss that stupid grin of his that smiled down at the grate. At the right spot, Donnie reached up and pushed the grate aside along with Vern's indecent help. It was still light outside, so they had to remain stealthy. That didn't help much since Vern was paying particular attention to a drain.

"This our ride?" Mikey stood on his toes, bumping people away as his big blue eyes fixed upon the jet before them. Raphael did his best to tolerate his little brother who was literally beginning to climb on his shell to see better.

"Yep!" Vern threw a thumb back at it along with a slight turn of the head. "She's all gassed up and ready to go!" The grown man sang. He stepped aside and held his arms out, presenting the machine to them. "All aboard!"

All four of the teenage mutants shushed his enthusiasm, rather annoyed that somebody may become suspicious. Becoming aware of the situation, he quieted immediately and caved in on himself. Left, right. Nobody was a around. That was lucky. Learning his mistake, he left the grate to open the jet door as wide as he could.

"Come on!" He whispered, rolling his wrist in circles. Donnie stepped up first after scanning the area. It was somewhat dark for the sun began to want to sink in the horizon and Vern assured them that there weren't any camera angles on this side of the craft. It should be safe enough. The nerd made a mad dash and flew up the steps in two leaps, using the most of his leg extension. One by one, each mutant followed procedure until each and every one got on board undetected by outsiders.

Swiftly, he shut the door behind him, containing the four teens and himself inside of the aircraft. The jet was small, but not small enough to entertain the crew. It was a sight to see as the children's eyes bugged out, checking out the features of the jet. It was like a common plane; nothing exciting. Yet again, it was hard to forget that these kids wouldn't have had a previous experience being in the passenger part of it. It felt like they were in a movie or on a tv show. Immediately, Mikey tried to look for the attendant button or the one that drops down the breathing masks. His brothers ridiculed him, calling him childish as he did while they sneakily tried to find it themselves.

"What did April tell you?" Raphael stood up straight as he watched Vern lock the main door.

"Something about Foot and China." He grunted until the door shut up tight. The keys in his pocket jingled as he fished for them. "If there's any Foot related crime, I want to be involved in some way so it doesn't seem like I'm pushing the envelope when I say I saved China from the Foot too. It'll be good for my image." He took the key and pushed it into the keyhole, smirking as he spoke. A little twist and he opened up the cockpit. Hands kept in front of them, the teens shyly peeked in for their large bodies did not allow them to be in their all at once. Besides, they were perfectly content blockading the door, trapping Vern in the pilot's chair.

"I didn't know you could fly a plane! Why were you keeping it from your favorite turtle?" Mikey exclaimed, checking out all the cool buttons he wanted to touch. The man shook his head as he placed his large headset where it needed be.

"You're not my favorite turtle." He answered unapologetically. Kids or not, they rarely treated him like an adult, so it was only fitting that he didn't treat them so sweetly. It was, indeed, a complicated friendship. "None of you, well," he looked up, tilting his head back until he could see three upside down mutants. "Donnie and Venus are my favorite turtles because they leave me alone." His head faced forward again. The pilot took hold of the steering and toyed around with it, making sure that it wasn't sticky or anything. "I guess I would be leaving out Mona who's, I guess, my favorite lizard." He nodded to himself, making sure of what he said was indeed true. The lizard in question pressed forward, almost on top of little Michelangelo. Her arm pressed down on his head, hunkering him down. The turtle pouted as he looked up at the smiling girl.

"Salamander turtle, actually." She clarified. Vern nodded in realization.

"Can we get this thing moving already?" Grunts a shuffling sounded behind him as Raphael squeezed his way in the middle of the doorway. His large presence pushed everyone against the wall, but no cares were given as he gazed upon them and then to the pilot. "Leo and V probably need our help and we're over here playing 'Who's my Favorite?'" He complained; his voice turning rigid.

"Chill, Raph." Vern put his hand up to show the heated turtle. Raphael huffed with a laugh. "The Falcon's on it."

"Falcon?" Mona questioned with a smile. With Raphael nearly suffocating them, she moved herself all the way up on Michelangelo. Once leaning, she now sat on top of his shell, barely hangin on. The little turtle favored the alternative: carry the lizard lady, don't get smashed because of Raph's large body.

"Yeah. Yeah it's… It's what my fans call me, the Falcon."

"What? Why?!" Mikey busted up laughing in a shrill voice.

"Because my eyes are always peeled and watching the city, hence I'm a falcon." Vern nervously explained, using his waving hands to help him speak his mind.

"That's what Hawks do!" Raph commented.

"Dude! You swarm in on pretty objects, you're a pigeon." Michelangelo added. Donatello happened to chime in as well.

"Or a seagull." He suggested, kindly.

"Mine! Mine! Mine! Mine!" Mikey started it first and was soon joined in by the laughing teenage crew.

"Real mature fellas, really." He sang, rolling his eyes at the mocking mutants. "How could I get a private jet if I didn't receive any special favors, huh?" The comment did not hurt them, but they silenced themselves naturally and gradually. He pressed a button. The chain reaction got the engine and motors running. "Fasten your seat belts." He spoke in a familiar tone. On cue, the mutants disbanded from the door to take a seat. It didn't take too long since it was their first time (well, not Mona's anyways) to ride a plane and have heard nothing but an awesome ride upwards. "Donatello." Vern turned, voice calm. He just caught the last mutant, who turned around in curiosity. Even after being made fun of, Vernon had a welcoming smile on his face ( there weren't many of those when the mutants are around).

"Wanna learn how to fly a plane?" He asked merrily, knowing fully well that the turtle would take to it. Donnie's full lips curled into a large smile that grew as big as his eyes.

"Boy! I don't know what to say!" He gasped, utterly amazed that he could be offered such a position.

"What about 'yes'?"

"Yeah, that should do it." He gave in as he lifted a leg over the seat of the co-pilot's chair. Following the pilot's example, he found the location of the seat belt and threw it across him. Donnie couldn't shake that giddy smile of his. Vern took notice, smiling as well as he showed him how to begin flight.

Meanwhile in the back, the other three mutants tried to find a seat to stick to when they would take off. Michelangelo was so indecisive, he didn't know where to go. He could sit in the back, which is the best seat to some, while the front seat is also the best (he was going off of what he's heard from rollercoaster riders). The turtle hastily made the decision to sit in the middle, off to the left side of the plane. Mona, on the other hand, wanted to seat herself in the back. Raphael came down the aisle. He kept his head low, not wanting to show his face as he looked for a seat. With Mona a seat just before the very last, he took the one right behind her, hiding himself. The lizard girl thought his actions were peculiar, but did nothing to look into it.

Seconds later, the sound of the engine pumping was silenced by the walls. Mikey was growing more and more exciting as he heard it rev up. This was a moment he had been waiting for a long time. The next thing to sound was a tun coming out of the speakers installed all around the walls. Vern kept the radio on as he got going, letting it play "Needed Me" as he and Donatello prepared the flight. Michelangelo became well immersed, singing the chorus as it came on in the best of his abilities (which really wasn't the best). Mona laughed as she listened to his performance, but it was hard of hearing. Not because he was a couple seats ahead, but what was going on from behind. Gradually, she noticed that Raphael began breathing violently in her ear. It began to irk her.

"Raph, can you breathe any louder?" Her head turned around to look at the aggressive breather. Her judgemental scowl wiped off completely in shock. She tugged at the seat belt some, trying to make enough space between it and herself so she could turn and examine him. "Oh my gosh, what's wrong?" The normally solid turtle was flushed of his green hue. As pale as could be, he clutched at the seat cushions. His chest popped out of the seat from claustrophobia. So much did he want to remove his seatbelt, but alas, he couldn't for he feared for the worst.

"I can't, Oo I can't do this!" He gasped for breath. The lizard lady slumped back down into her seat only to unbuckle herself. She looked out the window, seeing the grassy field roll by slowly as Vern and Donatello got the plane rolling. Mona had to act fast, she thought. In a snug spot, she sat next to Raphael. He felt like he was being pushed against the wall when she did. His violent breathing made her scared. She took him by the hand, pulling it towards her. Hopefully by doing so, he could breath a little easier when she opened him up from his cringing activity. Thankfully, he seemed to calm down a little due to the lesser dramatic breathing, but it wasn't enough that made either one feel okay about the situation. Instead of panting, he tried to change tactics by taking deeper breaths. As he did, he felt more light-headed than alright. "In the sky with Vern at the wheel! I can't breathe! I can't-!" His distressed words were cut off like no other. In a pinch, his breathing quieted seconds after Mona sucker punched him. He was getting too loud that Mikey could have heard him (that is if he wasn't busy enough hooping and hollering on his own). It was tough love, but Raphael was more at peace completely out of it. With his hand still enwrapped in hers, she could feel him tensing; his head lolled until it leaned correctly against the window of the private jet. Using her free hand, Mona buckled up next to him in case he decided to wake up and freak out again. There was no need for anybody to know such a big fear of his.

"Sorry." She whispered into his ear. Raphael had no response.

"Whoo hoo! This is probably like a Rollercoaster!" Mikey shouted, his hands up high in the air as the jet began to leave the ground. With no wind drag on his face, he had to imagine it was a roller coaster as it left him almost breathless with excitement and adrenaline. Raphael remained quiet in the back with Mona Lisa watching over him. The initial height of the plane reaching flying height took no time as the drive of excitement began to even out thousands of feet in the air. Mona smiled as she watched the young turtle come down from his fun high. When Vern gave the okay, he unfastened his seatbelt. The first thing her did was turn around to look at the excited faces of the mutants behind him. He was disappointed.

"Wow, Raph! Missing out on the fun!" Expecting to see giggly, hyped up mutants, he got calm and knocked out.

"Yeah, he's um…" She eyed his sleepy expression. "Out cold alright." It came out passively-nervous. The young turtle's brow rose, his eyes tracing down.

"You holding his hand?" His arm wrapped on to of the headrest; knees bent and pressed into the seat. Mona looked to her occupied hand. Wierd he could see such a small detail at such a distance.

"I hate take-offs." She lied. "Raphael didn't mind." Then, she gave him an unknowing shrug.

"How can you hate that?" She could only shrug at his unbelieving comment. With the feeble gesture, Mikey shook his head and turned back around. From what she could tell, he lay on his stomach with his legs sticking out from the aisle as his eyes looked upon the passing land below him.

"Good evening Kmart shoppers," Mona and Mikey groaned when the intercom sounded Vern's voice. They heard him laugh distantly from the walkie-talkie. You could also make out Donnie groaning as well. "we will be arriving in unknown China field in 13 hours." he announced.

"13 hours?!" Mikey jumped up from his seat and shouted at the speaker. Unbeknownst to him, Vern could hear him loud and clear.

"Yeah, I know. I'm the one flying the plane."


	34. Breakout

Isolated; Been cut off from any further contact from the people around them. Routine checks came accordingly at least three times a day with an eight-hour difference between each one. There was no cure for them yet nor was there need for any strict security to be kept on them.

The only company around was each other. Previously, their shaken actions mellowed out in a day. Some say that it has completely blown over, unlike the other half, who believe it was only the beginning. Somewhere in the mutation process, they've done something incorrectly. The turtles were injected with mutagen as well, yet they survived 16 years as mutants. Maybe it was because they were injected with pure mutagen while their victims fed off the traces of the alien substance from their bloodstream? Stockman had yet to test out the theory. In the meantime, the troubled mutants, all four, were kept to themselves. No exercise was provided due to them being in a quarantine zone. The only human- mutant contact administered was when they slipped their meals under the door or held them down to take recent samples of blood and skin scrapes. All the while seeming normal, the patients continued to think improperly.

Tokah and Rahzar: there was barely a difference. Primitive, their minds were, yet now they have seemed to lost all their knowledge of understanding or speaking simple English words and phrases they were obligated to learn. Whenever somebody went in, they were the dangerous group to see. Not only unintelligent, but very animalistic. Rahzar wanted to attack as they backed him to a corner. A couple strikes with the cattle prods would tire him out for them to give him a tranquilizer shot. Tokah, although immobile mostly, was harder to see. Once someone made eye contact with him, he knew they were out to seek him. Slickly, his arms and legs sucked into their compartments of the inside of his shell. If his pointed-edged, hard shell couldn't deter you, the fearing thought of coming close to his head will. Remember, this is a snapping turtle we are talking about. The common snapper removes fingers with ease. Harboring an uncooperative one who happened to be 8 feet tall in height that had a jaw hinge-action equivalent to a hippo was no skip in the park. One brave figure will try to distract him while another brave soul could sneak behind and jump on the back edge of his shell firmly( the only place the turtle's flexible neck couldn't reach). Only then could his tranquilizer be administered from the exposed skin.

Their next door neighbors, although easier to handle, were in no better shape than they were. The two were able to speak after their paralysis, but their thoughts were quite unclear. Everyday, one would observe how they would seek one another's comfort when the walls felt like they were "caving in" or that the containment drove them crazy. With the time they spent under these two's control formally, they distinctly remember the bitterness the pig showed the rhino. At times, they would notice that he took kindly to the less-than-smart mutant only because of his abilities and knowledge of firearms. Sure, he would use his stupidity for his own needs, but that kind of behavior was expected from a rotten individual who used to be Jazz Rollins. Lately, it wasn't a surprise that the pig would scoot closer and whisper to the rhinoceros who cradled his stumpy legs in his arms with a nervous look on his face. If they didn't know any better, they could have sworn that they have thought of each other as old friends. They were always together in the tiny room( meaning they wished to be together), told stories of things they used to do with each other (probably figments of their corrupted memories and imaginations), they even had a little catchphrase that they used very often: "My man". Strange, indeed.

At the moment, the pig sat in the corner, facing the cramped angle. Given his large body, he was a good distance away to keep from being cast from it. There, he shook and rocked. Recently, his head began to spin. Normally, the rhino would have attempted to show him solace, but who would do so for himself? The buzz didn't make him bash his head into the ground, but rather rock it up and down like an anxious horse. With the rotation and lack of surveillance cameras **inside** the room, the staff looked upon them poorly for no one suspected a thing.

"We need to get out." The pig whispered through his sickness. His friend, although annoyed with the buzzing in his head, quit his frequent rocks to give him a genuine nod. He stood up from the cemented floor; the raging brown eyes locked onto the direction of the door. Rocksteady took a moment to pause. His mouth and nostrils partook in a series of spasms until he rode them out by flicking his head. Suddenly, he took off. His large, mutant body slammed against the door. A nice fitting dent that took the shape of his folded arm made an impression, but didn't do a thing to unlock it. The rhino stumbled backwards in ugly steps before hastily making another thrust. A bigger dent; no avail. Bebop, watching from the corner, rolled onto his side and stretched out his legs. The added extension pushed his flabby body away from the wall. Once he was a safe distance away, he rolled to his side and pushed himself up. Legs of jelly, he wobbled. Both were uneasy, acting as if some sort of mysterious drug messed with their neurological systems. The sense seemed to be beaten out of the grey animal as he stood there, eyeing the one thing in his way of help. Bebop swayed and stumbled over his shoes as he tried to grab his friend. "I, help." He muttered under his breath. The added weight of his arm dragging his shoulder down caught the rhino off guard. He could have almost elk if he hadn't reacted in time. Rocksteady swung his head to face Bebop on his shoulder. He gave a nod, but didn't realize his muzzle smacked into the pig's face. It was a little numb after all. The contact didn't hurt too much, especially when he saw the rhino nod.

A haughty snort vibrated through his ringed snout whose temporary pain diminished. A silent count was put in place; both rocked their bodies in sync to make sure they were to take off at the same time. 1...2...3… the large mutants charged towards the door. With skulls meant to bash into items, the door didn't stand a chance with a third assault done by two large animals. Metal crashed and scraped against the cemented wall, tipping over and scratching the floor beneath it with great alarm. Simultaneously, a different type of alarm went off. White lights flashed along the hallway, giving off a haunting song. The pitch and demeanor was excruciating. Both knew that it meant they should run away from whatever trouble had been caused, yet it was hard to think straight. Their thick hands clasped against their little ears that heard the sharpest and quietest of sounds.

"Come!" Bebop took off down the hall. Truthfully, he did not know where he was going, but he wanted to get away from the screaming alarm badly. Unable to know any better (and not wanting to be alone), Rocksteady stumbled behind him with his elbows sticking out from his head.

"What happened?!" A scientist demanded as she sprinted towards the main monitor. The lights and sounds were just as fantastic in the lab as it were in the halls. A higher ranked foot soldier was at the helm, trying to regain control of the situation.

"The mutant's room door was triggered." He explained as he searched the cameras for where they may be. "They've escaped."

"Which ones?"

"Bebop and Rocksteady. Tokah and Rahzar are still contained. But, look!" He stopped to see through the camera in the hallway in front of the animal's room. In the corner, you could see the door ripped off of its hinges by their next door neighbors. There was movement on the door holding the wolf and snapper. It was rhythmic, like they were trying to escape as well. "We need a team to keep those two from escaping."

"Where are they?" She inquired. His mouth gaped open, finger continuously tapping the muse to change to different cameras. Hopefully, this way, he can get just a glimpse of where they possibly could be.

"I don't know." he admitted, still clicking. The woman looked shocked and offended. It confused the soldier. He'd probably analyze why she reacted in such a way, but he had more important tasks to complete.

"What do you mean you don't know? We have cameras everywhere and you're telling me you can't find a giant pig and Rhino in a mansion? It's one job!" Her insults did nothing but let out some frustration.

"Do you want to do it?" The soldier rolled his neck and eyes, letting them land on her own. As he did, she took a step back to keep her head from hitting his own. Continuing to click, he eyed her. She looked at him, then back at the monitor, then back to him. He was clicking pretty quick. At once, he resumed his eyes back to the main monitor. "They're probably upstairs."

Their prediction was correct, but it was too late. Somehow, they made their way into the most scared of the rooms. With Karai and Sacks gone, no one was guarding him. No Foot guarded his room for they were busy guarding the mansion itself. Any individual who'd visit him, unconscious or not, we're brave to do so. You can be brave when you don't have a conscience of your own. That's exactly why those two did. The bulking figures got into the master bedroom of the home. Silence wasn't their ally, but Oroku Saki was too far gone to attempt any reaction. All he could do was open his eyes when he saw a large pig overlook him. Unable to speak or move, he sat there and waited. The pig smelled him and nodded his head.

"Why bring him?" His rhinoceros companion asked. He didn't look at Bebop directly, but to the armory next to his bed. It didn't take an animal's instinct to feel off when looking at it. Most likely from the draft, it gave off an eerie, low grumble throughout.

"They'll only come if he's there." He pointed to the arrested man in the bed. His finger came so close, the man blinked sharply. Rocksteady kept his eyes on the suit of armor as he walked up beside his friend. Directly at the bedside, he turned to look down at the Japanese man below.

"I'll carry." He insisted, already pushing his arms underneath his body. There was no care to remove the heavy blanket over him, which now wrapped him up snugly inside and in the rhino's arms. Internally, Oroku Saki feared that such a fashion would trip up the wary rhinoceros, ending in a very painful fall.

"They'll be waiting," Bebop reminded. " to help us." His voice grew more and more distant. Rocksteady, looked up from the horrid eyes of the dangerous man he carried.

"Okay."

His head, normally long even with the large horn that adorned his nose, shortened up. Once over a foot long away from the central system of his face now drew closer with a shortened horn that became no longer than his finger. With his nostrils out of the way, carrying the unconscious man became a breeze since he didn't have to watch his head from smacking into his own. The buzz of their brains grew louder, muffling out the sounds of alarms blaring from underneath them. Bebop led the way with his companion trailing behind him. As they treaded down the stairs, the worse they felt. The pig stopped just before he could hit the main floor. Fatigued, he hunched over, using the handrail as support. His face gripped at his face, which seemed to be shortening up as he pulled. Trying to fight through the pain, he pressed on, even with the absence of his own snout. Looking for a way out of the mansion, drastic changes began to occur. With every step, it was agony, but they were far more light-footed. It was like their weight was dropping dramatically. Rocksteady noticed the most as his nose began to construct a normal bridge, closing up the gap where his massive horn had taken up.

Outside the mansion, more activity occurred. A watcher in a crow's nest sought out headlights coming up the mountain. He kept the ground soldiers posted, readying them for any battle they may endure. Soon, the flashing of blue and red colored the mountainside. Countless numbers of them began to alarm, echoing in a different manner than the alarms underground did. He gasped, throwing the binoculars on the ground.

"It's the cops!" he screeched as he came down from his throne. Confused members looked up to the horrified man. "Get underground!" he ordered. Soon, the flood of soldiers left the entrance. Most used their walkie-talkies to announce the news to those in the hidden lair. If they kept quiet in the undiscovered lab, the cops would have no further thought to search the place. As they ran, they had to think: what were they after? Hopefully, they were passing by? Then again, those mutants are on the run. What were they to think if they found them? One thing's for sure: this was not good.

Foot soldiers flooded into the mansion, trying to seek shelter underground, but they couldn't put their finger as to why some others were running in the opposite direction. Amid the darkness (they cut the lights) and confusion, it didn't register their minds who those people were. You heard it right, people. Six-foot tall, camoflauge-able, normal human beings came running out of the home. The former pig's lungs stung when his nostrils first felt the fresh air. Rocksteady felt the same effect and wanted so much to clutch his throat. Unbeknownst to them, they were unable to see the small steps in front of the mansion. Both characters tripped up on their own feet that were betrayed into thinking it was flat surfaces from there on out.

The dirt pushed up their noses, but they couldn't remove it from their cavities. Everything hurt. Their heads, their eyes, every part of their body that had a means to move. The flashing lights of ironic freedom could be seen from the corners of their half-lidded eyes, illuminating the blurry outlines of whatever they could see. Closer and closer, the lights grew brighter and their sirens became louder. Car engines roared into their normal ears. Faint echoes and distortions could be heard as the vehicles stopped. A few doors opened, following police officers with guns at the ends of their hands. In front, a female officer took charge of the anonymous tip.

"Put your hands in the air!" She screamed, gun cocked up in case somebody wanted to try something funny. There was no cooperation. Taking a closer look, it didn't look like they could operate. She lowered her gun while ordering her squadron to follow. A silent signal to follow her sent a few forward as they went in to investigate. They treaded lightly as they approached the three bodies. Two large males, one caucasian, one african american, were facedown in the ground wearing enlarged clothes that barely hung onto them. The other, a dark haired man who was also face down and unable to unwrap himself. The female officer turned her head, chin to shoulder, and turned on her dispatch. "We got three individuals on the ground." She looked back at them as the other officers tried to get a response from the african male. No avail. "May need medical attention." she suggested highly when they could only get mutters from the caucasian male.

Lastly, they turned over the other. The large scars on his face were highly identifiable. The look, the identification of his ethnicity, he knew who this was.

"It is Oroku Saki!" he gasped. The rest of the officers came to see. Could this be a hoax? Did they really just find the most dangerous man in the world unconcious? The woman pushed the ooglers aside, seeing the face of the ever-evil man.

"Get him checked out, then get him to maximum security." she ordered. A series of "yes mam's" went around as they unwrapped him from the blanket and set him into the arms of one of their officers. Quickly, the sound of an ambulance could be heard coming up.

While the emergency vehicle treaded uphill, the rest of the officers aided the two other men. Both large in size, it took a team effort of two to lift up, but one to carry them. With the cold air of the mountain and a great distance away from the ambulance, they made the decision to sit the delinquents in the back seats of their cars. All three were shoved into the commander's vehicle. The African american was put in on one side. Oroku Saki was next. His consciousness made him more intimidating. The officer holding him dared not to look into his lulling eyes as he fastened him in the middle. Lastly, the caucasian male was seated on his other side. The door slammed them all inside, squeezing them all together. Insensible the most, it was surprising that the caucasian male was able to move on his own some, let alone speak. His mind began to fog up and drift. At last, his head lolled to one side. The blur of his vision began to darken with each beat of his heart. Those long gone eyes rested on the face of the fallen, asian man.

"You save me." he whispered. "My hero."

A/N: I wanted this to end slightly different with more interaction with their incarceration, but I lost interest so… yeah, that happened. Sorry if it comes up vague, but I HATE writing bad guy parts! (but i need them! UGH! THE STRUGGLE IS REAL YA'LL!)


	35. Goodnight

The rise of the chinese sun bore from the mountaintops, spilling its light through the swinging bamboo and into her room window. Such vibrancy seeped through the cracks of her lime colored eyes, urging her to awaken. Last night was a hard one as she could feel how uncomfortable it was to sit up. It hit her. Leonardo probably hates her right now. Venus propped her knees up so she may rest her elbows onto them. Her large hands rubbed her face rather than wipe anything off of it.

The sky was still purple; she observed as she looked out. About now was the time they would wake up every morning. The female terrapin flipped back around a lay on top of her crossed hands. There she lay, wishing to doze all the while trying to listen to her roommate get ready for the day. Minutes passed until a minute turned to five, and then to ten. Peculiar; she forced herself up and stopped her sulking to check on him. If he didn't get up now, Miwa would have a herd of cows. Tip toeing, she crept around her own home. Her hands gripped the door frame first so she could pull herself to see. There lay no giant mass, let alone stand. Mona's old room was completely deserted. The blanket was not folded up neatly underneath the pillow, but tossed and stretched to the side. He didn't even take the time; he didn't want to take the time. Leonardo wanted to get out of there before Venus could wake up. The female turtle felt even worse as she turned away from the room.

By now, the sun sat directly on top of the majestic mountains. Venus took the back entry to the Wu Kwan. If Miwa wasn't in that specific room, she didn't want to face Leonardo by herself again. The back door creaked as she pulled it open and entered the kitchen. T her surprise, someone was in there. Putting down the daily newspaper was Miwa. Only her eyes were seen until she identified the visitor.

"Zǎoshang hǎo." she greeted, bringing it lower to her lap. Venus smile genuinely and relieved.

"Zǎoshang hǎo." she breathed. Miwa nodded and resumed reading. It did not dawn her what Venus' intentions were or her own mental predicament, so she carried on as usual. The female turtle looked off, bringing her hands up to grasp her shoulders. They moved up and down, nervously. "Leonardo's in the other room?" She inquired even though she couldn't hear a sound from it. The disappointed shake of Miwa's head had her already guess to what he actually may be doing at the moment.

"He was acting up, so I sent him up the Tùzǐ de yùnxíng trail." She explained. A little observation and you could tell that she wanted to keep her mind off of her newly irritated student. The shuffling of the newspapers irked her more as she wanted to search for something to distract her. "I can't believe how ornery he has become since he's been with us. He seemed like such a nice student in the beginning." There was disappointment in that last bit of her voice. The female turtle groaned gently and took a seat beside her at the table.

"I assure you he's always been. It's just been complicated lately."

"You know" her tone dropped in a low melody. "the half of that "complicated" frustration could be diminished if you talked to him." Venus looked up from her lap. Barely, Miwa lowered the newspaper once more. This time, her welcoming eyes now had a brow raised knowingly. She just shook it off with her head.

"I have talked to him." She forced out. She sounded much like an annoyed child. With a slouch and folded arms, the turtle completed the look. Her teacher didn't make much of it. She knew the situation well and knew Venus was trying to be vague about it.

"Not the way you should be." Miwa turned the page. "Learn to grow up, Mei Chan."

"Still learning." Venus grumbled.

"What was that?" That caught Venus by surprise. It wasn't an angry type of delivery, but a 'I know what you said, let me hear you say it again' type of voice. The turtle sighed.

"Nothing. You're right, but, I'm not at all comfortable about it." She brought a leg up, letting the heel of her foot sit on the edge of the main platform. "Nothing like this has ever happened to me. I didn't even imagine it since there could be no way." It was true. Never in a million years did the terrapin believe she could be in a such a predicament. She was caught off guard yet alone shy about the subject because she never wanted to think about it. One who didn't want to remember that she was probably not going to be exposed to numerous people and living the sheltered life; it was better not to imagine it. Now, she was in the middle of it and didn't know what to do. Eyes were shut up tight, trying to block any dark thoughts and wishing that the situation could disappear altogether. If you thought Leo was stressed, Venus had been stressed for the same "half frustration" he was facing, but hers was at a different angle. She wondered why she had to grow up and face these things in the first place. Everyday she gets closer to adulthood and is constantly reminded of it. Heck, Miwa just told her, but these weren't the type of things she wanted to face. Venus didn't wish for anything like this at all. How come she just couldn't live in her own world; the world Mona once let her live? Venus rolled over and hit her head on the table. Only her forehead propped her face up to allow her to breathe.

"Mutant or not, I always had faith in you." A sweet hand pressed on the sweaty, three fingered one. Through her fingertips, she could feel her shaking. Poor chihuahua, she was. The blue fabric wrapped around her head glided off of her head. Venus clenched it in her hand, letting her frustration go directly to it. "Don't let your special attributes get in the way of letting you be happy." The motherly teacher leaned over as an attempt to look at her. Feeling the pressure, Venus turned her head some towards her, dragging it along the tabletop. Eyes once bright and lime now began to change into a pink hue. The most understanding smile was granted upon her older lips in a way that soothed the terrapin girl. She returned a sad smile as she picked her face off of the table. Soon, it went away.

"Shì." The side of her palm pulled back the corner off her eye, wiping away any incoming tears. She began to nod, accepting the facts. "I'll try to fix this."

"How I want it?"

"Not really." Miwa raised a brow. Did she really have to retell her about how they got here in the first place? Venus knew and thought up quick to explain herself. "I know, I know, but I'm not ready for that yet. I have another trick up my sleeve that might take care of the 'other' half of that complication." Miwa could see that her student was so wrong up and thinking straight again, or so she hoped. "I just need to call up a friend."

"Who could that be?" The newspaper no longer interested her. Miwa awaited her answer when she got up out of her chair. On the counter was a teapot. Without whistling and watching her pour it in her cup, it was already made. Must be her second cup.

"My best friend is Leonardo's younger brother, Donatello." Miwa nodded while swallowing.

"Ah, yes. I remember Leonardo speaking of his family. Which one is this one?"

"The engineer." Her response was spritely. "He is really good and well practiced in the technological, engineering, and bōjutsu arts."

"Good boy, I assume?" She took another sip. The rim stopped just under her widened eyes. Probably the dopiest grin on a female turtle plastered Venus' face just that second.

"The sweetest." She nearly sang. It's her bestie after all; got to talk him up to make a good impression on mom. So far, so good. Miwa was grinning in her cup.

"Good. I don't want you to spend too much time with nasty folk, like that one brother he described. It might rub away at your kindness." Her joke was half-hearted, especially when she giggled for a few seconds and leaned gingerly on the counter.

"Raphael isn't bad," Venus spoke in his defense. "he's just grouchy at times. Believe me, he really is a teddy bear. A very moody teddy bear." Just about every word she hears about Raphael is negative, but never do they tell about the sweet things he does. Okay, he was totally 'rude boy' when he met Mona, but now their great friends themselves. He always looked out for everyone in a way even Leo couldn't see. Who to go to when you need some muscle building advice or non-ninjutsu training; the one to go to when someone's chasing you or beating you down knowing full well that he'll return the favor to the oppressor. He's own own special brand of sweet.

"Watashi sore o hanbai shiyou to shite kudasai. Tsuneni daremoga yūjin o tsukuru shiyō to shite imasu. (Keep trying to sell me that. Always trying to make everyone a friend)." The crooked smile on the turtle's face gave in to a playful chuckle.

"You know I can't understand you when you speak in Japanese."

"Which is why I mutter in it. You can't understand a word I say." Both shared a light moment until their stomachs settled. Miwa took another sip and looked out to the window. The sun was in the same position as it was when Venus arrived with the exception of the songbirds choosing to belt their melody at that moment. Venus sat there, much obliged to how much better she felt since arriving.

"I'll dial him up." The turtle girl reached to her side, raising her hip up. Her phone was now in her hands as she turned it on and checked the time.

"You may want to leave when you take that call." Venus looked up from the device and towards her content teacher. She kept her eyes out in the distance. Some features of her face lit up while the crevices of her eyes and under her chin were shadowed. "I see Leonardo's shadow a distance away."

"Donnie. Donnie."

"Hm?" He woke with a start. In the crack of his eye, he saw Vern with eyes peeled as he flew the night air. A shaking arm underneath him pressed his plastron for he shook him awake. Secondly, his vision could see a bright light bending off of himself. The turtle slowly regained a sitting up position in the co-pilots chair as he reached for his side. The bright light dilated his eyes. A finger or two readjusted his crooked glasses as he squinted to read the caller ID better."It's Venus." That woke him up some.

"Take that in the back, it might mess up the instruments." Vern advised, less snarky as usual. Must be because he was tired himself but he was too busy making sure they don't crash into the ocean. The groggy terrapin unbuckled his seatbelt and rolled up and out of the chair. The small space posed a little challenge as he crawled over the seat. Not that getting over it was the challenge, but making sure that he didn't crush the phone still sitting in the palm of his hand. As his body rolled over it, he used only the side of his phone carrying hand to catch himself and pull his legs up and over the seat.

"Graceful." He heard Vern comment as he opened the door out.

The passenger cargo was just as dim as the cockpit. The stars whizzed by as the plane flew through the night sky. Only the blue light of the moon let themselves into the plane. Without anyone making a comment when he came in quite casually, he assumed they were asleep. He had to be quick as the phone continued ringing. As he fast walked down, he saw his family. First there was Michelangelo. A pair of headphones squeezed his head as he lay across all three seats in his row. The top of his head pressed into the side of the plane as his arms straddled the seat. Donnie made sure to step highly as he came over. Also to his right, just before he could open the door to the back compartment of the plane, there was a funny sight. Raphael and Mona Lisa were sleeping side by side, hands still intertwined from earlier. Don thought nothing of it, especially the funny but as to where both had their heads lolled back. Raphael's rested on the side of the plane while Mona's pressed against his arm. Both sleep soundly enough, but their gaping mouths were wide enough to catch flies. Man, if Venus wasn't calling he'd take a picture on the spot.

He answered the phone the moment he shut the door behind him.

"Good night?" He yawned while trying to figure out what it was like in her time zone. He passed out so quickly that he couldn't recall how long they've been hiding.

 _"I am so sorry, Donnie."_ She was very sincere. Venus knew she often called him at an inconvenient time for him, but he couldn't care less.

"No, I've been awake... all night." He lied, trying to wake up. "What's up?"

 _"It's Leonardo._ _"_

"Are you guys okay? What happened?" His voice cracked at the last sentence.

" _He's been acting up lately."_

"Leo? No. It's not like him to act up when it came to his teachings, especially when sensei was around."

 _"Well, he's still listening and carrying out her instructions."_

"Ok, so the bad part is…?" He really didn't, but he wished there was something bad going on. She didn't wake him up for nothing.

 _"He's trying way too hard."_ What? Does she remember who she was talking about?

"Of course, Leo's a try hard." Try hard at winning, try hard at kissing up, try hard at being perfect, the list could keep going.

 _"No, I mean,_ _ **really**_ _trying hard. Every task she gives him, he becomes angrier, furious even,if he doesn't get it right. It doesn't take my gift of senses to see that Leo is carrying a dangerous amount of stress in his system."_

"How dangerous could it be? On your guess, how serious could this get?" Taking extra care not to scrape his shell on the door and wake up the mutants just on the other side of it, he crouched down and sprawled out his legs, sitting down. Currently, the phone calls from Venus were strictly between the two of them.

 _"Honestly?"_ She sounded unsure, unsure that he would agree with her personal diagnosis.

"Honestly." He assured her. There was a breath on the other side of the world.

 _"Leo might fall into depression."_

"I don't think he'll…" Before he could finish, Venus cut him off. It wasn't her nature but this was an exception.

 _"You asked for my honest opinion, and for someone who almost watched one of my own fall almo_ _st slip_ _into a depression, I believe he may too."_ There was a pause. Venus took the time to breathe and regathering her thoughts. Donnie waited patiently on the other line. A quiet yawn escaped from his throat. _"Leonardo may have a strong mind and discipline, but his heart is getting weaker."_ Her elaboration perked his brother's interest. _"He's trying to contemplate two things at once."_

"Well, what kind of things?"

 _"I can't tell you."_

"Why not?" The turtle thought they could talk to each other about everything. What kind of best friend is she?

 _"As much as intruding my senses are, I prefer not to tell you_ _._ _But, I will say that he has a fear of some type._ _Would you know one perhaps? Maybe we could have an intervention with him_ _?_ _"_

"Fears?" The word didn't even seem to match up with his bold brother. "Why do you think we call him "Fearless Leader"?" It wasn't for joking reasons.

 _"There must be something he's afraid of. Everyone is afraid of something."_

"I… I don't know." All three of his fingers grasped the side of his glasses as he pulled them off of his head. "From what you're describing, it sounds like maybe one of his fears is failing."

 _"When was the last time Leonardo failed at something? Anything! Big or small in our eyes."_

"Not much. Mikey and I keep a journal of his failures." There was silence.

 _"You guys keep a journal of Leonardo's failures."_ It wasn't a question. The female turtle enunciated each word in monotone to make sure she heard him right.

"Yep, but it's more like getting slightly electrocuted by outlets or falling off his scooter." He pushed the phone closer to his cheek as he leaned his head towards the closer shoulder. In doing so, he trapped the phone underneath his cranium.

 _"I wouldn't think any of those would suffice."_ Pretty sure he's not afraid of falling off scooters or breaking toasters. It's a little (a lot) far fetched for someone dubbed as the true 'Fearless Leader'. _"Think of something really big that happened to you guys."_

Brainstorming time; why was this so hard? The turtle girl remained quiet as she thought of her own suggestions as she waited for him. Surely after 26 years of living together, there has to be something Leo would jump or scream at every time he sees something. Something big, something big, something… It hit him. Brown eyes grew wide without the need of his spectacles.

"When Shredder stabbed Splinter and took us away." His whispers carried a haunting tone. Venus held her breath. This was probably the biggest thing that's ever happened to them, how come she couldn't realize this sooner, I mean… Now's not the time. This just dove into some intense territory. Donnie continued. "He threatened to kill him, and before that, I remember Leo shouting out for him. He was trying to protect him. Then, we had to surrender and he stabbed him anyways. We all failed, but I remember Leonardo taking it especially hard. Mike and I were drained in those pods they kept us in, but he was arguing with Sacks." He remembered it all too well. Vivid images of the horror rolled like a camera.

" _That's got to be it! Thanks so much, Donnie."_

"No prob." H had to give himself a little pat on the back, but a cocky blow on the fingertips should suffice. "You sounded a little upset when you first started talking. Were you crying?" From the air and slight sounds, it sounded like she was fixing herself up.

" _No. No, I'm fine. I just wish you were here with me. This whole trip would have been a lot easier with your head around."_

"Me too." He smiled."Goodnight, babe."

"Babe?" Her confused reply snapped him awake.

"Bestie!" he belted out, correcting himself on the spot. Venus giggled, which loosened him up to explain without his voice cracking. The nerdy turtle tended to do that when he was nervous. "I was with Vern and he keeps pointing his fingers and such while saying 'babe'." It was really hard saying he was in a cockpit with the man, a cockpit to a plane that happened to be secretly heading to her location. So far, he was doing pretty good of keeping that little bit of a secret. She doesn't tell him about Leonardo, he doesn't tell her that the whole family's coming to her aid. I guess you can keep one truth away from a friend (don't take that to heart, kids!).

" _Ha. Fame's really going to his head, huh?"_

"You said it." He chuckled along with her. "Goodnight… Bestie."

"Goodnight… Babe." She answered playfully. For sure there was a pink hue on his cheeks, which was quite satisfying. Her giggles prolonged until they became distant and then completely shut off when she ended the call.

A/N: The idea of Donnie and Mikey keeping a book of Leonardo's failures comes from the hilarious mind of tmntimagines _via_


	36. There Wasn't Anything

The run felt like it took him an hour. Trying to get over the fact that he was always on the edge of falling down a mountain wasn't a good feeling at all. The best they could have done was make the path wider for a person to pass and carry a load behind them. But, no. No passing room (thank you nobody was coming in the other direction) with just barely enough space for his shell to jab at the Rock every now and then as his body bounced side to side with his movements. It felt like he had just hit a home run when he had the Wu Kwan in his sights with all the flat space stretching far and wide. Upon his arrival, his teacher opened up the door to the porch and stood in the doorway. With a cup of tea in her hand, she advised that he should take a moment's rest and come back. Apparently, she had a surprise in mind and wouldn't want it to be spoiled for him. Although he smiled and took off with it, he felt like it was go no to be very unpleasant. If anybody says there's a surprise briefly after getting cross with the other, there was nothing fun about the outcome.

With the break, he had a good moment to dawn on the thought in the comforts of his home of a few months. When he first arrived, Leonardo dwelled on the fact that Venus may be home. She probably woke up and noticed that he had gone by now. Probably doesn't even want to see him right now. He had to admit, that was a really… um… Not really nice thing to do to her. Every morning they woke up together, so he sure wouldn't have gone unnoticed. He better try to make peace with her at least.

Alas, wherever he looked, the lady turtle was nowhere to be found. Not in her room, not in her father's room, not even in her glorious backyard. Venus probably took off somewhere. Miwa didn't mention whether or not she was in the Wu Kwan, so maybe she's somewhere else? The hole? An old friends? Oh no, what if she's with Yujin? She hadn't talked about him much since, but that couldn't mean that she's forget about him. Leo jumped onto the couch. He wished he could say that he cared whether or not it would break under his sudden weight, but now he could care less. Could he really have driven her back to her.. Her guy-friend? That was the last thing he would want and it was entirely his fault if she did. Oh, man. He may have messed up big time. The whole point of him going home for a while was a time for relaxation, but how was a turtle honing to relax with these thoughts through his head? He tried calling her, but with every call there was no answer. Typical. Well, if he wasn't going to relax, might as well go back and meet up with Miwa. Besides, keeping further bottled up feelings without blowing off some steam will make him repeat the same actions that brought him here in the first place.

He went through the back entrance to where Miwa had sent him off from earlier that morning. On the walk there, he tried to drop the subject altogether in order to keep from taking his frustration too far in the face of his teacher. It wasn't her fault anyways. It was nobody's fault that he felt such a way. Nobody's fault but his. A careful hand turned the knob and pulled the door open. The creak of its hinges notified that someone was coming in. Upon closing it behind him, he stood there as he waited for the incoming footsteps to meet up with him. As spritely as ever, it was Miwa. Her cup was no longer in her hand after having finished it a while ago. Updated nag her face was a black mask made of some type of netting by material like chiffon of some sorts. The black shadowed her sharp eyes outlined by her edgy makeup. A torso of a silver plate adorned her along with strapped pads on both her shoulders and forearms. She looked ready for a fight.

"Welcome back." Her words were mellow. "I have someone in the dojo for you." She didn't explain her new get up, which was odd since he had seen her wear nothing else but black pants and shirts. Something was definitely up. Good or bad for him, it was seriously leaning towards the bad side in his stomach. Like a good student, Leonardo followed as she led him to the other room. A lump in his throat went down as they neared the dojo.

"Is Venus here? She wasn't back at the house." He forced himself to say. Maybe talking could calm him down for the possible worst behind the door.

"I don't want you thinking about her right now." She snapped, letting half of her covered eye pierce his soul. "In other words, she brought him in for you." Her face disappeared behind her head.

"Him?" Leo questioned with a raised brow. His teacher did not answer. Miwa opened the door to the dojo and walked in. A small panic surged through the brave turtle for the surprise was just beyond this point. With a careful mind followed by confident steps, he tip toes into the room. Miwa was looking at one sode. A smile plastered on her red lips with her hands holding her hips. The turtle sealed a big lump of courage before looking at what she looked at so smugly.

"There's the monkey boy!" The familiar, frog like croaking of the Ancient One sang so brightly. A squint in his eyes observed him more carefully. "You look sweaty, like a freshly washed cucumber only rotten looking." He referred to his glistening state from walking over in the hot sun in addition to the anxiety he had coming in here. Normally, Leonardo would make some type of assurance that he heard his critique loud and clear, but for now, he was a little preoccupied.

After hearing the Ancient One announce him, it turned around to see. The man had to be at least eight feet tall; a staggering giant next to the little old man. Was it right to refer to it as a man, as in, a human being? The creature wore a getup of blue pants and golden boots that curled at the toe. Not even the elf-ish style of his footwear made him any less intimidating. His physic was rock hard, rippling muscle everywhere including his four arms. Yes, his four, muscled arms shaded in the same blue-gray color of his body. Here and there, tufts of blonde hair lined his forearms and shoulders. He fancied a rather bushy beard that stopped just before the rope of his cranium. If he weren't interesting enough, a long tail with a striped pattern limped behind him. Mona had nothing on him when it came to length, but hey, she's supposed to have an adequate length and more thickness as a mixed salamander turtle. But this guy, what was he?

"Heh. Just a little boy I see." His haughty laugh frightened the confused turtle even more. He stood there like a dork, mouth still agape.

"W-what? Who…?" Leonardo stammered. He couldn't function. The creature rendered him helpless, trying to comprehend his state of being. Was this what it's like when people meet him? Letting him suffering for a good few seconds, Miwa gave in, but with a sly smile.

"This is D'Jinn." She presented the strange creature with an extended hand. Her student continued to stare blankly. The teacher took hold of his bottom jaw and pushed it up. The click of his teeth snapped him out of his trance for he looked into her eyes and off the visitor. "You are going to be fighting him today." Wait. Fight, him? The eight foot, four armed dude? Fight him?

"Y-you mean like… right now?" Leonardo asked, wondering if he understood her right. With closed lids, she lowered her head. It's as bad as it sounded.

"Whats the problem?" He laughed. "Afraid to get pummeled by an old timer?" His voice mixed of old and smoker, yet the deep bass surely did justice for his size. Leo gave his opponent another look over. In confusion, his eyebrows furrowed. Green lips pursed into an 'o'.

"Who?" The turtle almost sang as he liked back down to his teacher at his side. "What **is** he?"

"Later. For now, prepare yourself Leonardo. This is one of your final tests. So far, you have learned and progressed with the new techniques I have taught you, but there is only one lesson left." She approached the creature with amazing confidence. A space was created In the middle just before the Ancient One and the large gray man."Defeat D'Jinn and you pass. If not, you are not the ninja we thought you were." Well, that was encouraging. The student terrapin took one last look a D'Jinn before taking his place on the other side of the room. A list of advatnages and disadvantages went through his head. Master Splinter always warned him of never to assume anything during a fight, but if Miwa wanted him to fight him and apparently Venus did too, this guy had to be pretty good to pose a challenge to him.

Leo walked to the other side of the dojo. Miwa and the Ancient One took refuge to a far corner of the room. ready to judge and spectate. D'Jinn casually sauntered to his place, letting his tail drag behind him. Leaning against the wall was a large, wooden bat that had the appearance of that of what a caveman would use. He chuckled as he grasped it and played with it childishly, showing off to the already worried terrapin. He turned around and face the turtle, smiling all the while. His nose stuck into the air. A couple audible sniffs went up his nose.

"I can sense your fears, and your failure." Two grey fists from the same side of his body formed, clenching at 'failure'. The ninja turtle growled, teeth clenched so tight that his lips couldn't hide his slight overbite. His animalistic voice grew higher in volume as he charged the awful creature. A leap in the air, he held out his katanas. A quick fip was added to assure a kick to the upper torso. Unfortuantely, his scheme was all too predictable. Before he could get a hit, he could see D'Jinn smile before winding up his bat and swatting him down. The flying turtle plodded onto the floor facedown. He tried to get up with his shaking arms, but D'Jinn gave hima brutal kick to the side of his shell. The power behind it sent him flying into the rafter. Thankfully, the wood barely splintered and kept the place upright. The shock was absorbed through his back armory, so it was more of a pinch than it would if he actually hit his skin. The terrapin caught himself and stuck the landing on the floor. When he looked up from his crouched position, he was less than pleased."With everything that has happened, you are doomed to fail both yourself and others." The blue bandana turtle stood up straight, katanas at his sides.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" Again, he charged with great fury. Miwa and the Ancient One looked on in silence as the two got into a brief slashing battle before D'Jinn's bat stopped the two katanas from cutting him vertically. Leonardo pushed down with all his might while the creature pushed up to hold him there.

"Believe me, I do!" Suddenly, he pushed him back, shaking off the angry turtle. Then, he pulled hit bat over and behind his back, ready to spring. He swung down. Leonardo's blades formed an 'x' in an attempt to guard against it.

Suddenly, there was a bright flash. Donatello was in front of him. The cattle-like prods from the Foot shocked his already wet body in painful ways. With the addition of rain and the tech already on him, he was taking it the most. His grunts and held in screams were clearly audible, as if the Foot took the all over again. Then, there was Michelangelo. With the blood slowly withdrawing from them, he was the first to partake in its effects. Before Raphael had shown up, Leonardo looked to his right. His youngest, the happy one was pulled forward in a slumped position. Never had he seen his head hang low so involuntarily as his juvenile life was being sucked out of him and flowing through a tube.

Another flash and he was back in the dojo; Right back into the middle of the fight. It was weird, but there was no time to register what happened as he found himself perfomring a double backflip to make space between his opponent. His hard footsteps shook the ground as he would up his bat again.

Raphael, beaten to the floor and all he could do was watch his little brother fly and be humiliated by that monster. The sound of his bulky armor clinked and haunted his memories as he drew closer to his fallen brother. A foot pressed against his shell with hydronic force. More and more pressure pushed him down. The sound of the cracking bone that would soon become a crack in his shell began to break open under his shoe.

The visions. Was this his mind playing tricks on him? Surely none of these thoughts were remotely near his brain at this time, but there there were. Clear and vivid. Such gruesome sights, he shook his head, hoping it would stop regenerating his past. Another charge came from the turtle, With his head in the clouds, he could think of no other tactic. It bothered him like crazy, but there wasn't much he could do. He had to pass him test. D'Jinn waited patiently, which irked the turtle more as he pounced at him. With his legs curled back as well as both him arms, he wanted to dice up the arrogant alien. Before he could knick his skin. Two arms stopped him in mid air, gripping at his shoulder and the other at one of his legs. In a fit of rage, the D'Jinn wound up and smashed him into the floor, shell first.

Then, there was Master Splinter. His body was being suspended by the same monster who did them wrong. As crisp as the real thing, his metal arm moved back and swung with the momentum. Splinter grunted as the blades cut at his stomach. So carelessly, was his body tossed to the floor. More flashes as he watched he and his brothers dropping like flies as they were attacked from behind until they blanked out. If it could become any more disturbing, their faces and bodies began to melt. Slowly, their distraught expression dissolved into the air along with the Foot holding them hostage. He was alone in their old home; Alone, with the exception of D'Jinn taking up the space the Shredder was once in before dissappearing. He laughed haughtily, letting his bat fall playfully into one of his palms. The memory was worse than the real thing. It all felt too real. The feelings and pain returned once more. The top of his head showed because her dropped his chin to his chest. His hands clenched the edge of the broken cemented floor while his knees scratched along with its jagged surface.

"I'm- i'm so sorry!" He apologized out loud. His strong voice now shook. "I'm so sorry." D'jinn continued to laugh, obviously enjoying every moment of the powerful leader breaking before him. Leo cold hear him, but it didn't matter. Appologizing to his family was his biggest concern. "I- I'm. I did the best I could!" Suddenly, it hit him. He looked up. D'Jinn was still in his same, overconfident state. "I did the best I could!" Leonardo yelled with power behind his voice. The katana on the floor were picked back up as kickly as he got back onto his feet. The creature had to rush to gain better control of his bat as the mutant turtle came running at him like a freight train."There" Clash! "wasn't…" Block! "anymore…" Clash! "that I could've done!" His voice rumbled animalistically as he held the surprised creature in a deadlock.

"If there was nothing more that you could have done, why do you punish yourself so?" An inquiry posed upon by the Ancient One pierced the imagery. The turtle paused. Blades lowered to his sides, shoulders relaxed. Before long, a smile warmed up his face. He got it. He understood. As quickly as it arrived, the awful background melted around them. They were back at the dojo, or , at least, could see it since they've never left.

D'jinn backed off from the turtle. His large torso gave him a slight bow. Leo, now knowing he was no longer a threat, placed his katanas in the sheaths of his back. When the last one fell to the bottom on the carrier, he squared himself up with the noble creature and bowed with him. A few seconds and the two rose up. Suddenly, a blue aura surrounded him. His body was engulfed by a blinding light as he grew shorter and thinner in stature. At 6ft, he stopped changing and the light faded away. There stood Venus, smiling with all of her heart. It was her. She was him the entire time! Before he could say a word of disbelief, the female turtle engulfed him into a bear-tight hug. Her face pressed into the nook between his shoulder and neck. The move stunned him massively, but it didn't take long until he embraced her just the same.

"I didn't know it was that bad." She was referring to what had happened between him and the Shredder. Surely, she knew f the story, but she had never seen it with her own eyes. "You needed help, but you wouldn't let us." It sounded like a soft sob while she spoke into him. Leo nodded, agreeing fully. She pulled away, using a hand on his shoulder to distance herself and use the other to wipe her face. "Leonardo, you have so much promise and you're a great leader, but you thought you needed to be perfect in order to live a wonderful life. It's okay for a glow stick to break. Eventually, it will shine." The sincerity. Such truth passed from her lips. It felt so good for him to hear words of praise towards him after a while of nasty remarks about his behavior. Assuredly, this feeling was way better than being angry all the time.

"And you have proven yourself today." Miwa chimed in. The two turtles turned their attention to their approaching teacher. The Ancient One was escorted by her side, arms wrapped around hers as she led. "Under my wing, you have learned many lessons in aikido, judo, Kung fu, and contact caopeira, as well as two important lessons that were personal."

"What were those?"

"Lesson 1: taking critism and handling it nicely. Neither The Ancient One nor I thought you were a terrible prospect when we first met you."

"I did." He raised his free hand proudly. Miwa chooses to ignore him after giving him a passing glance.

"It was discouraging critism meant to break you down. At first, it did not seem to bother you but over time you applied it to getting better rather than expecting encouraging word and believe you were perfect. Lesson 2: don't let everything fall on your shoulders. I know you are the leader of your clan, but you can't be held responsible for everything. Some things are just beyond our control. When something as bad as that happens, accept that it happened and move forward. You are an exceptional student, Leonardo, and probably the best of students I've had. Your training is complete."

Those words. Leonardo has been waiting for them for the longest time. He accomplished his purpose of coming. Now, he can go home. Now, he can see his family again. Now, he can be at peace. Leo took a step towards the two mentors. Both Miwa and the Ancient One lifted up their chins to see his face. A calm exchange of facial expressions created a tacit treaty of peace. The terrapin took a deep breath before taking a bow. His hands were stiff at his sides as he lowered himself almost to the Ancient One's height. In mutual respect, the two teachers bowed their heads, forgiving and congratulating their student. A few seconds passed until both parties straightened back up. Leonardo had the sweetest, most assuring smiles youve probably ever seen him have. This was what he wanted, and he got it. It took some blood, sweat, and quite a few tears, but he got there. Breaking his train of thought, a hand firmly grasped his chin. The beholder of it turned it abruptly towards her at his side. Venus smiled brightly.

"Ready to lead a mission again?"

A/N: Back at it again with the 2k3 references! The Character "D'Jinn" is from the _Battle Nexus_ episodes. The action sequence comes from _The Ancient One_.

Ok… be honest… how many of ya'll did I trick from those last three sentences…? I know I did :p


	37. You Look Like A Geisha

She gave him a moment's rest for himself and for her as well. Leonardo may have taken a huge beating to the body and heart, but such magic and energy used up at once tired her greatly. Both took some downtime in the kitchen, eating a meal prepared by Miwa herself before she pulled out a piece of paper from an unknown source. She stood behind his chair. Leonardo looked up, cheeks full of dumplings when she leaned over him.

"This is the note I apprehended from the Foot soldier I saw." Venus explained as she placed it flat on the table for him to see. Continuously chewing, he peered over to the crumpled note. It's scribblings were of a foreign language he could not make out. Definitely Chinese, he assumed. 'It's an invitation to a gathering. The way it's written, it's very vague on the invitation. Yet, inside there's a note furtherly explaining that "in loose translation" that" her finger traced over the key characters. "'It begins now'." His throat swallowed his snack to answer.

"So," His throat cleared. "whoever is rallying the Foot in China is expected to be here?" A giant green finger pressed against the paper. Leo didn't know what the character meant when he pointed to it, but he took a wild stab in guessing it was the area of the location. The turtle girl smiled as she reached over again, this time to reach for his wrist. In her grip, his finger lightly dragged along the page until she stopped it pointing at a different character. He could tell she wanted to giggle for him trying, but now wasn't the time.

"That or we can earn further clues as to what is going on." She inferred. The turtle warrior have her an understanding nod as he stared at the incomprehensible characters. "Alright, so the original plan was that Miwa and I were going to infiltrate the party as guests. Now that you're on board, Miwa can stay behind."

"Well, that plan is out the window." Leo swept his hands in a waving motion in front of him before scooping his hands up and folded within the confines of his arms sitting atop his chest. The turtle girl raised a brow.

"What do you mean?" Leo sat up straighter. His arms unfolded and laid straight out in front of him, accompanied by a shoulder shrug.

"I don't how you're going to do it, but now there's no human infiltration inside. We'll have to survey outside." He insisted. How else were they going to do it? Miwa was the only human they could trust to spy inside, now she wasn't going. Venus shook her head.

"No. We don't." There was a sly, yet playful tone on her voice. Leo tried to look her in the face, begging for some answers but the turtle girl was already walking away and towards the hallway. "Hold on." She asked, clutching the doorframe with one hand and the other holding up her index finger. The pause followed by her disappearance to who knows where. The male turtle was left to his own devices, only his imagination could put him at ease, or not. What was that girl up to? Seconds passed and turned to minutes. Now his dumplings got cold as he waited for the terrapin girl to get back. As his patience wore away, she returned, but with style. Her hands glowed their usual blue color when she would perform magical feats. Hovering above her open palms floated two necklaces of a single charm. His eyes could see the elements of her magic seeping into the "rock-like" gems, letting it influence their physical state.

"What's this?" He stood up when she walked towards him. Such awe, he pushed his chair in without looking and completely forgot his frozen food.

"Mèilì mèilì." The sound flowed evenly from her throat.

"What's it for? A pretty accessory?"

"It has magical qualities. Whoever wears it is masked with a different identity. Normally, it changes human beings' appearances. I've alternated it to where it forms our unnatural appearances and shape." As she spoke, the two necklaces began to slowly descend into her palm. The blue aura faded away, settling back into her talented hands.

"So, when I put this on…" He stopped, trying to comprehend what she had just described. "I become human?" Venus shrugged.

"Close enough." Her answer was inappropriately mismatched with her silly delivery and his deep-hearted question.

"Where was this all my life?" His mumbles were barely audible, gazing upon the rocks that were to correct and change his unique mutation. Venus, quite oblivious to his opinion on the subject, happily picked up one of the rocks for him to put around his neck.

"Here." She offered him, holding the strange artifact by the chain.

"No, you don't understand." He lifted his palm to her, distancing himself from the object. Surprised, she retracted back with it still in her hand. "All my life, all of our lives: Splinter, Mikey, Donnie, and Raph. We had to limit our entire lives underground in the dark. We thought of nothing than to go out and enjoy life."

"Leo." She said his name bluntly, but the male terrapin wasn't having it until he finished talking.

"Sure, you and Mona had a somewhat limited contact with people, but we've never been among the presence of one until recently. And now, you tell me that you had the power to change us into human beings?" Now he was really close, eyes bugging out and such as he subconsciously made the terrapin girl lean back each time he came too close for comfort. Clearly, he was very passionate about the subject. When her back couldn't take it anymore, her dumb look of fright instantaneously became straight. With her free hand, she touched his shoulder. Leonardo looked at it as she pushed it away, forcing him to back off of her as she straightens up. The terrapin girl put a first to her mouth and began to clear her throat. When she was finished, a knowing eye caught his attention.

"The properties of the glamour charm are only temporary. For some reason, the body becomes immune to it and the magic eventually wears off. They say it's only for a one time use when done by the same magician."

"Oh." Well, he felt dumb. Thinking that she was in the wrong, the "incorrect" just served him up a thesis, body paragraph, and conclusion.

"You guys sure like to assume things." She handed him the necklace, in which he now took graciously.

"Runs in the family, I guess." He had to chuckle at himself. If this family he grew up in knew anything, it was the ability to assume. No wonder Splinter stressed so much on that lesson. "So, " he cleared his throat, disrupting the mental conversation within the confines of his mind. "if I use this now…" his voice trailed off, allowing a spot for Venus to fill the blank with her own.

"We can never be human again. Well, at least not through me anymore." Such a haunting thought. To be somewhat human was more than he could ever ask for, but now in a situation where he was human temporarily and then never again when it wore off? Too bad it wasn't a time where he could actually enjoy it, such as roaming the actual streets of his hometown and not along the rooftops and pipelines. You know, getting to know what it feels like to be in a crowded space and enjoy wonders directly. But no, it was here at a time where he's supposed to remain a low profile. At least, he can be amongst people. That's a bonus.

"Well, let's see if it works." Leo apprehensively took the necklace away from her. There was a medium sized mirror hanging from the living room wall, Leo remembered. Venus followed closely behind as he went to seek it out. Behold, the parallel universe hanging humbly on the wall of the quiet room. Subconsciously, the turtle wanted to keep himself a distance away from the reflection, just in case the change would be too much for him. He looked at his profile, analyzing it as if he had never and won't ever see it again. He turned his head away, unable to bear to see such transformation. Venus nodded and pressured him into it with hand motions. Slowly, he raised his hands over his head, spreading the chain. The cold metal graced his head, send my him chills. The turtle took a leap of faith went he let go, letting it drop to his neck. Immediately, he scrunched his eyes closed, waiting for the transformation to happen. Surely there could be a cracking of bones, change in height, I mean, turtle to human may not be a comfy change. But nothing happened. He opened an eye, not expecting anything. Then, he opened both eyes, quite disappointed. The palms and forearms of his hands were flipped over as he saw the same old green arms he's had since. "Whoa, I look…" he put his hands down and bent over to look at his feet. "Exactly the same."

"To you and other linked glamour charms, yes, but to everyone else…" By the looks of it, she was trying to grab his shell, but by the way she was gripping it, it was something foreign to her. When she got around to it, she turned him to face the mirror. That's when his mouth gaped wide. "You're just another random white boy in China." The turtle's jaw nearly unhinged. Who was THAT?! Is that him? Leonardo? In the flesh? Pink flesh?

All his life, he had grown accustomed to green scaled skin. A spooky, dark caucasian shadow mimicking was all to creepy. What he wore was exactly the same, and surprisingly fitting, but the rest of his body was something new. He touched his face. There was no outstretched nose. Instead, there was a human bridge between his still blue eyes. Leo walked towards the mirror as he let his hands slide up his smooth face. If it wasn't crazy enough that he now had to function five fingers, he almost lost it when hair filled between its gaps. His brown tresses were somewhat tossed about in an elegant style. It was not short, but not long enough to grow past his ears. Oh..my..gosh… he has ears. Immediately, his fingers took to massaging the lobes that he couldn't feel on his body himself, but as a detachment through his fingertips. With this in mind, he could only imagine the invincibility his body can endure. Yet, he had to remind himself that there is a good chance that his natural body could still be harmed even if he couldn't actually feel his human body. When did he become an avatar? Leo's five finger hands smoothed over the front of his body. Where his bone plastron would be, stretchable, squishy skin took over. The only thing that actually felt normal was to see the pattern of muscle that used to be outlined by his turtle physiology. Truly amazing, he thought as he gave his arms and legs a once over. His tattoos were much more vibrant against his brighter skin. But that also meant the scar on his face was brighter and slightly more noticeable. Bottom line, he couldn't care less. That dream from the back of his head to be human had just come true! If only his family could see him now!

"What do you mean 'other linked glamour charms'?" He turned around to face her. She was gone. Right to left, Venus completely disappeared from the room. Before he could decide to search for her, she returned. She had fetched her silk robe, now tying its black belt around her waist. Must be because of how Leonardo changed. Doesn't wear a shirt, no chest cover in human form. As a non short wearer as well, and as a woman, Venus was quick to notice and fetch herself something to decently cover her human body. Observant turtle.

"Since I created our glamour charms with unique properties, only you and I can see each other in our true forms." On a small decorative table nearby, her necklace lay. She reached for it. The silver chain slipped through the grooves of her large fingers. "You only see me as a turtle, but in reality…" She dropped the necklace over her head. Looking directly at her, there was no difference, but when he looked at her from the mirror, it was a whole different story. "I'm some type of mixed chick."

Unlike Leonardo, her skin was much darker. Her frame and eye color remained the same as he as she shifted into a womanly human body change. Instead of brown hair such as he, a flurry of golden brown curls fell down her shoulders. Venus looked into her reflection. She was much less flabbergasted than Leo, and proceeded to smile and fix her hair away from her face, a first for her.

"Whoa!" He gasped while she grinned into the mirror. "You look like… everything." He complimented. Surely, she did. Dark skin, golden curly hair..."Oh look, you finally got those Asian eyes." He playfully pointed out with his words and finger. The former turtle girl stood up straight. She leaned of to the side with her hands on her hips, eyebrow raised.

"Ha ha." Her response blurted out deeply. "Now come on!" Immediately, Venus marched away and towards the door.

"Where are we going?" He asked, taking a few shuffle steps behind her. She was practically out the door when she leaned over, clutching both of her hands on the frame to keep her from falling over.

"Heading to a party in China, we need to represent."

Walking around the village was weird, or, weirder than usual. Even in a place where he can walk around as a giant turtle, venturing around as a person had just as many curious eyes on him. Two people of a dark and light color with interesting garb peeked most adults and all the children's interests as they passed. No one bothered to ask gained more and more eyes as the two former mutants approached a humble building. Venus hadn't told Leonardo exactly where they were going, but it was soon made obvious as they walked inside.

Everywhere around them, silky and colorful fabrics spilled out of boxed shelves and hung on hangers. The best of wears, it appeared, hung high and on a line suspended from the ceiling. He walked around in awe, dresses and kimonos occasionally brushed his face and body as he treaded behind his female companion.

"Měiměi! Zhè shì jīnxīng!" She called in her native tongue. "Guī?" Venus leaned over, poking her head over the counter and into the side in the back.

"Méi péi zhī? Nà shì nǐ wǒ tīngjiànle ma?" A young woman's voice called from the unknown.

"(I'm in the front!)" Venus chirped over the counter. She looked so eager, she skipped up to the stand. Quick shuffling came closer to where they were, and it was coming from the back. Out of the forest of patterns, a girl emerged. She was quite young, looking their age. Barely was there any pigment in her skin, but given her occupation, it fitted quite well. A grey cheongsam hugged her body with a simple black floral design on the bottom of her dress. The dark brown locks of her hair were wrapped up elegantly into a simple style, followed by sweeping bangs to frame her face. Her brows were sharp, accentuating her surprised eyes as she looked at the two peculiar characters. Rather, she looked disappointed and confused. Venus stood her ground with a smile as the girl stepped forward.

"(Is that you, Venus?) she asked. Her eyes zeroed in on Venus', trying to study and make an understanding of this. Was it really her? Those unnaturally lime green eyes, she knew who had them, but was it true?

"(It's my magic doing this, but yes. It's me.)" She explained, voice losing itself, almost breaking down. First, the girl frowned and then smiled with a sad face.

"(Get over here, Venus!)" she motioned her over with her arms. The girl went behind the counter to engulf her longtime friend in her arms."(I missed you so much!)" she squeezed her extra right before letting the ex-turtle go. "(Heard you were out here but I didn't get the time to see you!)"

"(At least we're here now!)" Venus grinned. "(I missed you too Mei.)" She saw her eyes leave hers. Mikey had shown her memes like this before. "When you're talking to your friend and a cute guy walks by", yes! She remembered that picture of SpongeBob and now she was seeing it in her friend as she leaned over to get Venus out of her sight and someone else into it.

"(Who is this boy you brought?)" the new girl asked as she stared at Leo. The boy shyly smiled as gave her a little wave. His arms going up gave her a perfect view of that rock hard body she couldn't keep her eyes off of. "(Does he have a girlfriend?)" Pffft! The sound forced through her smiling lips while trying to cover her mouth with her hand. Judging by the girl's interest, he knew she was talking about him and with the language barrier, it wouldn't be discouraging if Venus was laughing about something the girl said about him. The former turtle calmed herself down to speak with her curious friend.

"(Leonardo's a turtle too, Mei Mei.)" her hand clutched the girl's shoulder, eyes assuring her. The girl's eyes, however, grew wide and bright.

"(You found another turtle out in America?)" Venus nodded her head. She thought Mona Lisa and Venus were the only ones of their kind and now she finds another like her? Small world. "(That's wonderful! But does he have a girlfriend?)"

"(Mei!)"

"(If he's as gorgeous as a turtle as he is now, I don't care about species!)" Finds one mutant turtle like her in the world, friend still wants him if he's pretty. Go figure.

"(We're on a mission and we need some traditional dress for a formal party. Can you help?)" For added measure, her three fingered hands clasped together. Her bottom lip stick out, pleading to her playfully reluctant friend. She had turned her back with arms across her chest, turning only her head to show the turtle her thinking, yet smiling expression.

"(Yeah, yeah.)" the deep tone elongated.

"(And yes, he's single.)" she released the extra piece of information to make her more enthusiastic about her part in the plan. Just as planned, her face lit up. Her hands rose as quick as her smile until it dropped back down. Venus was confused as Mei Mei took part of her cheongsam in her hand. She pulled it away from her in different angles, turning her head as she did.

"(Wish I got a little more dressed up today.)" she admitted as she looked over her outfit. Oh, Mei Mei. Venus rolled her eyes with a smile. It felt great to be around some more familiarity of her easy life.

"This is my friend Mei Huǒ Niǎo." Leonardo's head shot up from staring at an article of clothing nearby. With them casting him out with their language, he had completely dozed off and paid attention to other things. His mind registered the name as he nodded. "We call her, Mei-mei." Venus placed her hands on top of Mei Mei's shoulders. With the eye contact made, the girl blushed and giggled, turning away from his gaze with a hand over her mouth. Blushing aside, she took gentle strides towards him. When she came close enough, her arm slowly rose from her side. There was a peculiarity of the fashion it was moving at. It was then that he got it. She was out of her comfort zone. Normally, a small bow was sufficient as she grew up, but knowing he is an American, she wanted to greet him his way. How sweet. In that case, Leo raised his hand to reach for hers. As he saw his hand extend, he noticed his three fingered hand. How large it was to be engulfed in her tiny fingers. With a human bubble surrounding him, it would seem strange if he shook her hand in his normal, three fingered way. Leo took a chance when he allowed his hand to slip into hers, book of his thumb first. The rest followed smoothly and matched up with her hand. He couldn't actually tell if his human body was doing it right, but the constant blushing and smiles from Mei Mei eased him as they gave one nice shake.

"(Hello friend of Mei Pei Chi)." Her other hand covered her mouth to keep her from giggling between her words, yet it was still audible to him. It was the nice way he was smiling and those bright blue eyes charmed their way through.

"Nice to meet you, Mei Mei." He guessed he was also greeting her as he exchanged the favor. When their hands slipped away. Mei Mei took a step back. Venus was right behind her and caught her before she could try to trip in front of her.

"(He said he's 'Delighted to meet you'.)" she translated to her. Her blush was apparent, and when she uncovered her mouth, the brightest peach smile his behind it as she gazed back upon Leonardo. "She's the source of traditional dress and wears." To Leo in english. Feeling claustrophobic and pressured, young Mei Mei scooted behind Venus and behind her store counter. "Even with Mèilì mèilì, we need to look like we belong to such a party. Unless, you want to wear what you have and have some Foot recognizing it." She pointed to his garb, finger racing up and down. Shirtless with only yaroi and a strap covering his chest, draping himself in old towels sewn together to make some type of skirt followed by a bulky shoulder pad and ripped up shoes. Leo looked down to inspect himself again. He really couldn't see what his other form looked like and neither could Venus, but he understood what she was talking about. To each other, they were their normal, adequate turtle selves. But to other people, like Mei Mei, he was a half naked white boy in her shop.

"I don't know. I look pretty good like this, yeah?" He tried to joke, smiling wide with his hands out saying 'c'moooonnnn' playfully. The two women thought two completely different thoughts. Venus leaned on the counter with an expression of 'yeah, right', while the other had other ideas in mind.

"(Tell him to pop his pecs! Do it!)" she leaned over and practically whispered to her. Venus propped herself up to face her friend.

"(I'm not telling him that! You tell him that!)"

"(You're the one that speaks English. Not me. But if I could,)" she turned back to the ex-turtle. Those muscles of his were speaking to her in every language she could understand. "(I'd be telling him a whole lot more.)" her tone was dreamy and dark. Leonardo was completely puzzled as she stared at every aspect of him. Honestly, really didn't know what was going on. Was it about him or something else? If they are talking about him, who's saying the nice stuff? Were they talking about somebody else? Why are they still talking?

Venus couldn't believe what she was hearing, but she knew who she was talking to. Such behavior was expected from Mei Mei. The ex-turtle girl clicked her tongue and protruded her lips.

"(You thirsty, huh?)"

"(Why, do you need a glass of water or something?)" Whoops! One of those things Mikey taught her.

"(Sorry, it's American slang.)"

"(Oh?)"

"(It means you're thirsty for Leo.)" she explained further, which felt like she just ruined the whole gag.

"(I'm also hungry for him too.)"

"You guys talking about me?" The two girls broke their gazes and looked up at the intruding turtle. They looked like deer caught in the headlights when he stood his ground after posing his question.

"(You've done it now.)" she looked back at Mei Mei, who shrugged unashamedly and pressed her fist up against her trying cheek. "Mei mei's going to get you fitted. Is that ok?" She asked him. He sighed in relief after hearing some english.

"Sure." He nodded.

"(Mei Mei, could you have him fitted? Get the biggest sizes you can find for him.)"

"(Already on it.)" her finger pointed high into the sky as she came from behind the counter. "(Finally! I can get my hands on this one!)" her comment made Venus shake her head as she approached her newest crush. She extended her hand for him to take. "Leo?" She asked his name in English. With more courage, he took her hand easier, much to her surprise. Mei Mei led him to the back room. Without Leo's knowing, she looked back at Venus. The cheeky girl winked and giggled before disappearing into the dark back room.

"How do I look?" The voice woke Venus up from her thoughts. Having taken a while, the ex-turtle lay across the counter on her stomach. She moved the side of her face off of her hands and positioned her chin on top of them. From the depths, she saw a blue cuff and his hand emerging. Following it was a large blue kimono with two black vertical stripes lining from his shoulders and down. Tying him all together, a blue belt of the same hue wrapped around his body. Mei Mei couldn't figure how the large size fit him so well and the one she thought that would fit him right was extremely small. Magic was at work. Venus pushed her body up as Leonardo strolled up with the biggest smile ever. It was probably the first time he's worn a kimono; something he's possibly dreamed about due to being immersed into Japanese culture (it's a Chinese garb, but pretty close to the real thing. I'm not going to ruin his fun.) Mei Mei followed directly behind him. With his back turned, he could not see the list in her eye. A finger curled into her bottom lip, grazing it when she draped it down. He was a little too busy to notice as he looked for Venus' approval. There was no verbal response or nod of the head. Instead, a creeping smile did the trick as she looked him up and down.

"(Delicious.)" Mei Mei whispered.

"Mei!" Venus interjected in English dialect. Leo turned his head to the girl. Immediately, she removed her finger from her mouth just in time.

"(Are you not seeing what I'm seeing?)" she raised a brow, making a quick hand gesture to keep Leonardo off her game. The ex-turtle sighed with a chuckle under her breath. Leo turned back, trying to figure out what's going on. She slid off the counter and approached him. Part of his collar was tucked into his neck and proceeded to fix it. He lifted up his chin to allow her access.

"She said you look very nice" she complimented, keeping her eyes on the fabric blemish. She could tell that he was tensing up by the quietness of his breath and the reluctance to move. "and are quite the model." A quick pat on the collar bone alerted him to let his chin fall back to its natural position.

"Tell her thank you," His content eyes and grin was warm. "and she was very professional back there."

"(Really?)" her torso leaned to the side to see the still hiding Chinese girl. Leonardo moved off to the side and let his eyes follow as Venus approached her friend. Her suspicious tone and raised brow brought Mei Mei's blushing gaze away as she interrogated geez "(You were being professional fitting him?)"

"(I used my hands to dress but my eyes to undress.)"

"(Mei Mei, please.)"

"(I'm talking to the wrong person. Mona would be encouraging me.)"

"(Which is exactly why we left her in America.)"

Meanwhile, Leonardo was up to other things. With the two friends constantly jabbering away in a language he couldn't understand, the boy learned quickly to try not to integrate into their conversation. In one part of the room, a set of three mirrors angled at different angles stood up with two lanterns illuminating them. He looked into his reflection. There was his human self again. It was crazy seeing how that big robe was able to fit perfectly with his smaller frames human body. When she first pulled out that other kimono, he thought she was possibly blind for bringing in something so petite. That thought aside, he admired himself. The dark blue was the best part of it, but the black was a great touch. What he couldn't shake off was that he continued to wear his mask tied around his skull. He had to blend in, and wearing a mask like this to a party was far than formal. Leo reached the back of his head to undo the knot. It was taught at first, but it quickly loosened in seconds. Unraveling it blew cold air on the strip covered with cloth. Immediately, his gaze caught up with his reflection. He had to admit, he was pretty good looking. With the mask tucked in a pocket inside his garb, he stared back at his fully transformed self. The firsts of what he noticed was the old scar that traced down his eye and to the top of his cheekbone. His finger traced along it, using the mirror as a guide. The line was a lot brighter than the original. Now, with the change in skin tone, the peachy colors blended much better, creating a less prominent mark.

"If I walked into a room and you didn't know it was me, could you tell?" He asked facing the mirror. The two girls redirected their attention to the ogling turtle who smoothed his hands over his features. Mei continued to admire; Venus wanted to joke.

"I could tell that you're a tourist trying to embrace Chinese cultures, that's for sure." She assured, giving him a cutesy wink.

"(It's great to see the embracing of our culture to another ethnicity without the appropriation.)" Finally! The first non-suggestive thing she's said about him since she first laid eyes on him.

"(Always)."

"(You're next, Venus.)" Mei Mei tugged on her sleeve. Venus nodded as she practically dragged her away.

"I'll be right back." She called to Leo. "(Is it alright if he pokes around?)" Mei Mei drifted her gaze back to the man in the mirror.

"(He can do whatever he wants.)" her dreamt tone returned. Oh, brother.

"Feel free to look around and such." She gave him welcoming hand gestures before the little girl stowed her away.

"Alright." Leo called, having already finding something to do.

"(I think you will be okay. Your robe is a somewhat common wardrobe. I've seen enough girls wearing them that they wouldn't think it would be you there.)"

"(If you say so.)"

"(Besides, not only are you human but dark skinned with gold curls. That's far fetched from the typical description of Venus de Milo. If there was a typical description of you.)"

"(I trust you, Mei Mei.)"

"(Have I ever done anything for you to question me?)"

"(Yes!)"

"(Well, this isn't one of those times.)" He heard them speaking in the back. As their conversation droned on, their voices became clearer and louder as they pushed through the back door.

Leo had to pause when he turned around at the approaching figure. It took every bit of night in him to keep his jaw closed and his breath normal. There she was, with Mei Mei trailing behind her; dressed up in traditional garb. Upon walking in, she noticed the mirror and the one who continued to occupy it and decided to see herself in human form. Leonardo didn't know what to do when she came close, by then woke himself up to give her some space in front of the mirror. The female turtle took a look, and so did the male.

Just as Mei Mei had spoken of, she kept her original blue robe on. The only additive was half of a corset that wrapped tightly around her stomach area. Looking directly at her, it was ridiculous as it shaped awkwardly around her shell, but through the mirror, perfectly normal. Those golden curls were wrapped up, tied into a loose bun that sat just at the base of her neck. A pair of tresses fell on opposite sides of her face, completing an elegant style. To accumulate to tradition, her face had been painted up. I contest to her dark skin, white makeup created a fresh mask. The natural red hue of the red-eared slider streaks she possessed were highlighted. Smokey eyes overlapped them, accentuating the green eyes underneath them. Coral pink blush filled the hollows of her cheeks, following the fresh red paint that cascaded and created vibrant lips.

"So," he tried to keep himself together and cleared his throat. Awkward at parts or not, she was still a beautiful creature to him. "you're going as a geisha?" His voice cracked at the end of his sentence due to nervousness.

"No," she giggled, inspecting herself further let. "I'm posing as a hostess, a concubine, or something. Whatever keeps me undetected." Venus really didn't know what she was posing as, but she had a good list just in case she needed to state her business. For Leo, it should be easy. Can't speak or understand a bit of the language, clearly a tourist. His presence would be surpassed. If she accidentally speaks just one bit of Chinese, questioning could surely arise. Better get rid of all negative factors.

"You look like a geisha."

"The Geisha originated in Japan, but the styling originated from China." She corrected his terminology. Venus had seen multiple times how American entertainment programs would confuse the two cultures as well as integrate traditions (starting with Mulan). She understood his ignorance. So bad did Leo want to accept it, but he shook his head. Even though he said it once, he'll say it again.

"You still look like a geisha." She just...did. Suddenly, her fingers stopped smoothing her hair. A sharp turn in his direction startled him while her eyes pierced his soul and her hand pointed flat directly at him, as if ready to roast.

"Leo, I don't care if I look like a chicken on a bicycle if it's going to keep us both on the down low." Her harsh words spit out of her finely red lips quickly. In an instant, Leo put his hands up in surrender. When she saw this, she gave a nod of the head and presumed. Not asking that again.

"(Mei Pei Chi. If you want to have an ample window of time, you must get going.)" Mei Mei alerted when she pointed outside. The position of the sun was not in the turtle's favor.

"I was hoping to catch a carriage cyclist but it would be far too late. Where we're going is a few miles away."

"Yeah, I'm not walking miles in this heat with this on." He gave a tug of a flap by his day plus long clothes plus walking some miles equals 'no, thank you'. "If we're catching a ride, we need a fast one." Venus pondered on the thought. She walked away from the mirror and examined outside. Her eyes turned yellow as they stared at the sunshine on top of the mountains. The mountains.

"I think I have an idea."


	38. Ride Along

"Horses?" Was his less than enthusiastic response. Venus drug him all the way up through these mountains to visit a horse ranch. They were everywhere in various shades of brown and black, grazing on the hilltops without a care in the world. Leo already stated how much he didn't want to sweat in his nice clothes. His skin glistened along his forehead and was wiped every few minutes when they climbed the large rock. The girl couldn't stop her smiles when she gazed upon the majestic, calm creatures who minded their own business.

"Yep. These are Mr. Leon's Riwoche horses." She extended a hand to them, presenting them to her turtle companion. "They're strong, sound, beautiful…"

"And short." He cut her off. With a good distance away, she could clearly see the size factor. He wasn't any type of equestrian, but these were small horses compared to the large police horses he'd seen in the streets time to time. Those ones were big boned; heavyset. This scraggly gang of ponies were all bone with tucked in stomachs. "They're cute and all but how are we gonna ride these things?"

"With saddles." She giggled through her sarcasm. Leo raised a brow. His eyes turned her away to keep herself from smiling directly in his face.

"You know what I mean, Venus." The turtle girl made an exaggerated shrug of her shoulders and a cock of the head. Slowly, she approached the fence directly. A hand set on top of the rugged wood. Every chunk and dip was felt as she sparsely drifted her fingertips over it as she made way over to the main gate. Leo followed directly behind. "How do you think that this big, heavy shelled turtle is gonna sit on the little ponies and not break him?"

"I never said we were riding them." "Qiangzhe Laile!" She yelled across the plains. One by one, a horse's head popped up to stare. Some, upon seeing where the noise came from, dropped their heads back down. Others continued to stare at the two standing at the gate, slowly falling to look towards the hidden back for they heard something coming. The forest of trees began a thunderstorm. Loud hooves pounded the ground and shook the air as they ran. Suddenly, out of the brush, a mare and foal trotted out of the way when two very large animals charged through. Leonardo couldn't believe the beauty as the two magical animals sprinted towards them. With each stride, they grew larger and larger in size. Venus' smile grew ever wider as they abruptly slowed themselves down to not run into the gate. A couple clods of grass flew from underneath their feet. Big Norris flared, wheezing out the dust that dared to make its way in with every deep breath. The fuller one, a black horse, threw his head over the fence. Just like the other, his mane was shaven to a mere Mohawk. A swish of his tail also showed a full, straight cut just before his hooves. Venus extended a hand to pet his velvet nose until the other moved him down the line to be petted as well. Quickly, the black one found another to be appreciated of him. Watching Venus do it, Leo extended a careful hand towards the animal's face. The contact transferred the animal's warm to his hand, pleasing him greatly. His harsh breath showed him the harmonies of his body. Just from his nose, he could feel his wildness, every muscle, all the power.

"Well, well, well. Who's this?" He gave a toothy grin as he let his hands explore the horse's face. His deep brown eyes were kind and gentle when he studied them.

"They belong to me and my sister. We started riding when we were babies." She patted the cherry bay animal. He donned a black mane and tail with black points on all four legs. He nodded his head, having it knock the top of the wood with a quick wine. The turtle girl giggled and let the horse move away from her. "Chung I noticed how much bigger Mona and I were becoming, so he planned ahead and imported two horses from Europe. A Friesian stallion" she gestured to the black one, " and an Andalusian gelding." Assuming she is referring to the other large equine.

"Hey buddy."he whispered to the animal. He kept quiet and still, letting his inexperienced hands run all over his face and a little more confidence, he began to scratch a spot near the top of his neck. The horse began to nod graciously, letting his lazy lip flap. In to time, he began to sidestep towards him, pressing the side of his body to the fence to invite Leonardo to scratch in more places. "What's his name?" He laughed, enjoying every little antic the horse dished up."It is a 'he', right?"

"Yes, his name is Yujin or Embers." Leonardo slowed his scratching; the horse sowed his head bobs to nothing. "He's my horse." She clarified. Venus couldn't put her finger as to why he acted so strangely so quickly. What was that boy thinking?

"Oh." He sounded disappointed.

"You don't like the name? I gave it to him when I was seven-."

"I…uh." He cut her off, but he couldn't find his own words. "I was always under the impression that Yujin was a" he sealed a lump, "human being." Just saying it made him feel like an idiot.

"I didn't mention he was a horse?" She asked. In the meantime, she was entangling something that hung from the fence. When she got it off, he could see it was a rope attached to a halter. The gate was removed of the chain keeping it closed and lifted it from between its wooden holders that kept the gate between it. "I talked about him all the time." Venus approached the bay one first. He stood behind the black stallion, staring at her with attentive eyes. As she walked towards him, the horse took a few steps away. She was persistent, not approaching him directly and kept her eyes low. The horse kept walking, but soon gave up to a stop. In order to not alarm him, she reached out her hand to touch his hindquarters. He didn't jump or move when it snaked up his back and over his neck. He stood quietly as he slipped the halter over his black nose and fastened it at an adequate notch.

"Tell me about it." Leo rolled his eyes. Then, back to the horse in question. Jokingly, he threatened the horse with the tone of his voice. He's Mr. Tall, dark, and handsome who always met up with you at this farm. Just didn't catch my mind that he had four legs and ate grass." He teased, scratching the horse harder so he could shake his head again. "Hi, Yujin." He couldn't believe this was what he was threatened by. This love me, dorky beast was the highly acclaimed Yujin. Venus opened the gate away from her and lead the other horse behind her. He was pretty handsome himself as he did a full point turn so Venus could close the gate behind her. Not too far, a tie-bar was installed in front of the old wooden fence. She tied him to the iron cast, attracting Leonardo over.

"Then I guess I'm riding this big boy." He placed a hand in between his neck and shoulder. The horse was alright when he gave him a few quick pats. His pretty red-brown coloring unleashed a fusion of air and dust to dance in top of his hairs. Venus was on the other side of the horse, brush in hand before she came over to the other side.

"Oh, no,no,no. You're riding Yujin." She pointed to the black horse who whinnied at the gate. The brown horse whinnied back. From your soul, you could feel his deep vibrations surge through you.

"It's your horse Venus. I can ride this guy." He insisted. Yujin may have been a nice one to be greeted by, but this guy has been averagely nice so far. Couldn't be trouble.

"We really don't have the time to argue about this." She took Leo's hand and pushed the brush into it. Her now free hand closed his fingers over the top of it before proceeding back to the gate. "You take Yujin, I take Nan."

"Why can't I ride Mona's horse?" He asked, now brushing the side of the horse, going with the hairs. He's brushed human hair before, but even though he had much shorter hair than Mona's, he was certain that he should brush with the growth of it.

"Nan's quite a character." She slipped a second halter over the black horse's nose. He didn't move away at all she. She went to retrieve him.

"There's nothing wrong with a little character." He spoke in Nan's defense. Venus was pulling Yujin through when she looked up from her feet. Leo looked into her eyes gently. Through them, she could tell that he really wanted to take the horse. There was something about them that pleaded. She kept her eyes on him, trying to read them when she pulled Yujin up beside Nan on the side opposite of Leo. With their heads met, Yujin bickered deep, having his nose vibrate. Nan followed, letting his soft nose touch the other in greetings. There was another brush in the rag tag bucket tied to the rail with baling twine. She lifted out a soft brush and proceeded to brush her black steed. If she hadn't been visiting before, there would be sort flinging everywhere, much like what happened when she first arrived back home. Every stroke pulled out the glossy sheen hidden underneath. One of his back legs propped up in relaxation, tilting his hindquarters.

Leonardo kept silent on the far side. The sound of swishing hairs from brushes and tails was the only audible sound outside of the natural ambience. A startling hand grasping the top of Yujin's crest broke her concentration. Movement in the corner of her eye directed her underneath his neck. Leaning over, Leonardo's pleading face showed itself. He kept his bottom lip thick and blue eyes enlarged to help him out. The female turtle gazed on sympathetically. Suddenly, she sighed while rolling her eyes.

"Fine, you can ride Nan, but we need to tack up and go." She gave in! Yes! He did a little victory pump of his format for her to see. The girl shook her head, laughing it off as she raised her head back up to presume her task.

A while later, they gave the two horses a brush down. From the tack room, both carried their saddles and blankets. Yujin donned a light blue Chinese saddle. His breast collar was ornamented with a yin yang sign, just like the tail hitch that trailed on top of his hindquarters. Venus was perched upon his back, setting her straw hat on top of her hair to keep the sun off of her. She pulled back on the reins, stopping him in his tracks. Using the raised parts of the front and back of the saddle, she turned her body to look behind her. Blazing past was a blur of brown and black, topped with a wailing green and blue figure. The comedy act was too much for her to bare as she unashamedly laughed her head off as Leo grasped from the reins; his hands flailed around, trying to stay up with his feet out of the stirrups. Venus clicked and squeezed her legs hard to get her black steed loping. Charging, he caught up to the runaway horse. Venus positioned him close when she reached over the grab the reins of Nan. Pulling back of Yujin, the control slowed the free spirit. Leonardo continued to wail until the horse calmed down and slowed to a stop with his friend. All the trust was entrusted in Yujin, for Venus need not hold onto him when she jumped off his back. Instead, he stood collected like a gentleman while she kept her hold on the other. Shaken and stirred, it took Leonardo a while to slide off the runaway train. Venus cocked a knowing brow when he crossed in front of her and stuck to the side of Yujin. After such a terrifying experience, he was ready for him to spring away of any movement could set him off. Venus laughed some more when she climbed on the cherry bay's back. As she pulled herself up, he shuffled in place. She kept correcting him, pulling on the reins and kept him still. In time, Leonardo sat on Yujin's back. Just sitting here, he could feel the difference in his legs. He was far less tense and more filling in the middle. Hopefully, this horse could cure him of his recent traumatic experience.

"Venus." His voice shook. "What does Nan mean in Chinese?" The turtle girl answered with a snicker and clicked for the horse to move. A couple pulls back, she corrected him to walk. When she passed by him (Yujin followed behind him himself due to his rider's inability to bravely move him along), she flashed a sly smile underneath her shades hat.

"Difficult."


	39. Touchdown

" _Good Afternoon Lady and Delinquents."_ Mona and Michelangelo lifted up their heads to the sound of Vern's "smooth pilot voice' over the intercom. Mikey had just slipped his headphones to rest on his shoulders just when he heard Don whisper "that's not funny" next to him. Vern recomposed himself. " _We're now about to land in open field a.k.a. The trainer lady's backyard. We shall be out of here very quickly so strap back up."_ he advised before taking his finger off the button. Mona reached to her side to re-strap herself since they took off. In the meantime, she took a peek at Raphael. The lug was still knocked out from before. That is, Mona had to keep making sure that he was okay and not in some type of coma. He was stuffed up tight in the seat belt, head lulled to the other side of his body; movement that determined he was indeed alright.

The landing was just as fun as the take-off to Michelangelo. The same invisible force that excited and pumped his adrenaline revisited him as they came down from the sky. He could feel his stomach turn upside down and place a hitch in his breath until the ground came in perspective and he could see the grass blades move and the tall bamboo and trees pass by. Every thirty seconds you could see and feel the plane slow down as it approached a humble home near the end of the open field. Although not exact, the aircraft came to a slow stop near the back porch.

" _Thank you for riding_ _Air Mutant_ _, the plane you fly against your will because you got involved."_ There was some shuffling around.

" _Vern. I thought cameramen were supposed to be quiet on the set."_

" _Yeah, well, I decided to be a hero instead."_

" _Under us, you mean?"_

" _I just dug a hole, didn't I?"_

" _And it keeps getting bigger. Your finger's still on the button."_

" _Disregard that last announcement."_ The two conscious passengers rolled their eyes and groaned a the idiotic ways of their pilot. However did they trust this guy to fly them across seas? A while later, the front door to their seating opened. Ducking under the entryway was Donnie himself. A sweet smile sweeped onto his lips when he saw his siblings for the first time in a couple of hours.

"How was the flight?" He asked enthusiastically. Surely he didn't do much of the flying up there, but it was always nice to get an opinion for the smallest of accomplishments. Mikey unbuckled his seatbelt first. With a single move, his left leg crossed over and rested at the top of his right thigh. His facial expression tightened, letting his mouth drop towards his chin with a sleepy look in his closed eyes. Neatly, his hands intertwined and rested on his lap.

"I was promised peanuts and an in-flight movie." he complained comedically, overtaking a snooty persona. Don could only frown, in which Mona only shook her head at the silly turtle. So much for a compliment. Suddenly, a loud, short snort got their attention when a turtle in the back jumped up in his seat.

"Where are we?! What happened?!" Raphael woke with a start. By the way his body jolted with flared arms, it almost knocked Mona out of the seat. His eyes were wide in confusion.

"Yippee. Raph's awake." Donatello spoke sarcastically in monotone as he leaned over to pick up a bag sitting in a vacant seat. He was still peeved about earlier. The heaving turtle clutched whatever he could find in close proximity. Claustrophobia began to set back in, clouding his head. If it couldn't get any worse, Michelangelo decided to give him a heart attack by popping up in the seat in front of him. The young turtle was oblivious to his older brother's antics as he carried on, slouching over the top of the seats with his arms hanging low.

"What's wrong with you dude? You were out all night and the fun ride up!" He beamed while whining all the same since he can't relate the rush of flying with the brother he was normally down to do things with. Wait. The **fun** ride **up**? Did Raph hear him right? Immediately, he looked out the window. Nothing looked familiar. Tall grasses ranging from yellow to green replaced the usual asphalt that lie on the ground, swaying with any giving whisp of wind. Tall buildings were replaced with more eco-friendly trees of a whole different breed. Did he really just fly? Omg, he just flew in a plane.

"We… We're not in Kansas anymore." He whispered breathlessly. The heat of his mouth escaped as a fog on the window for his face was pretty much glued to it.

"Or America." Vern commented as he exited from the same door Donatello came through. "Welcome to China." He said with a smile as he turned to open up the plane door. Instantly, the hot sun beamed on his face. He had to use an arm to block out its rays, but the heat could not be avoided. Face contorted, he took a step out to get a feel for the new land. Surely, he had visited the country before, but only when something awful had happened and he was sent over to cover it. From first impressions, he was not sure that he was in the right country given that all he'd ever seen was decimated, dark, and smoggy. Out here in the mountains, the sky and air was as crystal clear as the waters he'd flown over. Vern took this moment to take it all in before the mutant children would descend from the aircraft and ruin his relaxation.

Inside, the young mutants were either grabbing something or putting things back in their bags to leave on the plane. Still seated, Raphael was beginning to come to terms of what had happened. Mona had sat there with him to assure him and make sure that he wouldn't give himself away as he slowly remembered the last item that had happened that he could remember.

"You." He growled. Mona appeared smug with a smile and half-lidded eyes that looked knowingly into his own. Raph kept his tight appearance with pursed lips and a claw-finger pointed at her "You!"

"I know, I was so scared!" She laughed nervously. Raph was taken aback at her approach. Next, she took both of her hands and wrapped them genuinely around one of his. "Thank you so much for helping me with my fear." every two words delivered a light shake in his arm, trying to prove how incredibly thankful she was, even though it was a lie. Sadly, Raphael wasn't catching on.

"Wh- b-b-but I." he stuttered. Man, today wasn't his day. Nothing was making sense. To ease him, and keep him from giving himself up, she repeated:

" **Thank you for helping me with my fear**." A little more firm now that neither of the other were paying attention to them anymore. "You know, the one of **plane rides**." The last two words were engraved in her teeth. As she said them, her eyes widened a little more, forcing them onto him to pressure him into getting it. The actions she performed worked to a degree. Without questioning it, he just went along with it.

"Suuuure." His brow raised at the same slow pace that he leaned back to the window, withdrawing his hand from her grip. Not quite the reaction or level of understanding she was hoping, but at least he kept it vague. A quick nd of her head gave him her approval.

"C'mon guys! We need to get to Miwa's." she announced. Mikey jumped out of his seat. Both fists waved in the air as he jogged towards the front of the plane.

"Yeah! Let's go to Miha's!" he yelled. As he ran out, his shoulder bumped into Donatello's. The blow pushed his brother back, but didn't deter him own path. The stout brother scowled, rubbing his shoulder.

"She said 'Miwa'." He corrected sourly out the door. The orange banded turtle gripped the side of the door and peeked back in.

"Mida, Miwawa, Mimi Pee pee!" he played with the words, annoying the taller brother even more. "Let's roll!" That last part hurt his hearing. The younger turtle escaped before Donnie could try to get him back. He held his hands to his ears and cringed when he stepped off the aircraft. With the plane empty, only the two mutants who sat together remained. Surely, the rest were waiting for them and would surely pop their heads back in and say something that may give him another headache. Rapj was planning on getting up until Mona Lisa stopped him. Her hand pressed down on him. It was barely a touch, but it kept him from rising, much like how a mother thinks that her outstretched hand could save her child in the passenger seat if she were to slam hard on the breaks. Then, she placed a hand on the side of his face. The sudden gesture forced him to look willingly into her eyes, just as she wanted.

"Just go with it, ok?" She asked. Without any further explanation or a reply, the lizard girl smoothly removed her seatbelt and trotted out of the vehicle. Raphael sat astonished, still tucked under his own belt with his large body against the wall of the plane, thinking: what the shell just happened?

"Is this Miwawa's house?" Raphael was shuffling down the plane's stairs to catch the remark from Michelangelo. When his bare feet touched the grasses, he looked up. The orange banded turtle pointed gingerly at the dark colored building. It was somewhat impressive, given its appearance next to the other dirt-like buildings surrounding it.

"It's a Wu Kwan, but yes." Mona clarified.

"Hold on." Vern turned and trotted back towards the aircraft. "I forgot some things to turn off. Go on ahead."

A body was slouched down in a chair on the back of the porch. The closer you got, the more you realized that this guy was all robe and no body. Just a head that decided to hide underneath a straw hat. His age reflected upon his tanned face, which pulled down his brow to his eyes and his jowls halfway down his neck. The guys stopped short, letting Mona take the lead to ascend up the porch steps. "I was wondering why nobody came outside the house!" She spoke cheerfully. The man was silent, continuing to stare at her as she came closer. He got up from his position and approached the happy lizard lady. "Hello, Ancient One!" Name fits.

"You and Venus! Americanized!" It was the first time they heard the man speak. Ugh, his voice sounded like it belonged to a chalkboard. They bared so much as they refrained from getting any closer once they reached the top of the porch.

"Excuse me?" She asked rather confused, looking behind herself as the old man inspected her wears.

"Is-is this…" he grabbed the hem of the cut side of her pants. "This your dress Chung I gave you. You cut it up; I will punch you in the throat!" Instead of just letting go, he threw it down with his hand in a sassy fashion and then presumed to grab the trail of cloth behind her.

"It was too small, Ancient One." She tried to make it clear to the oblivious man.

"You cut out stomach and shoulder!" He pointed to both areas. Mona looked down for a brief second then looked back at the upset face scowling at her.

"So conservative." She sneered. By the way she was handling it, it appeared that this man was idly a threat (of course his appearance gave that away too), making them a little more comfortable with this confrontation. Even comfortable enough for Mikey to not stifle a laugh. This was priceless how serious this little man was and Mona was just brushing him off, making him even more upset. The change in voice caught the man's attention and forgot about the girl's outfit. Now, his eyes criticized the three mutant turtles who smiled weakly and waved nervously back at him.

"Who deez boys here?" He pointed; Mona turned around. "More green monkeys for me to train? I won't have it!"

"Whoa there, little man." Raph snickered, putting his hands up in mock defeat. He exchanged playful glances all around as they approved and enjoyed his game.

"I only little because you is a beastie thing." The Ancient One pursed his lips and grabbed the bottom hem of his robe. Confidently, he advanced towards the taunting, red clad turtle. "Look just as trashy as Leonardo-san." He was referring to the rags that wrapped down the back of his legs. Not only was he also cloaked in scraps, but he couldn't help but notice the cracks and blackened scars all over that contrasted against his green skin "Don't **any** of you win fights?"

"You wanna go right now?" Raphael muttered under his breath, although he kept he hands to himself despite of his usual nature. Donnie put a hand on his shoulder as a way to tell him to stop before it could even begin to get out of hand. The Ancient One then moved over to Michelangelo, silently judging him as he always does. The young turtle took a deep breath and recollected himself. Stiff, head and chest up in the air, she stood like a soldier as his sergeant searched for blemishes. Mona stepped in before he could anime least insult anybody else as a form of training (they always did this when obtaining new recruits ((even so, the Ancient One was always honest despite Miwa's agreeing words but opposing thoughts))).

"They're not here to train." That sentence brought him back. Whew! No more new students! He'd hate to go through something like Leonardo four times over. "We know what Venus is up to. Well, not really but-."

"I thought I heard a familiar voice." Everybody looked up to the woman in the doorway. She ducked her head to watch her step. When she looked up, the boys took notice of her sharp and edgy makeup choice completely compelled by her warm affections.

"Miwa!" The lizard lady exclaimed. With a matched enthusiasm, the woman returned her hug incredibly. Mona was so tall that she had to reach and stand on the tips of her toes.

"Mona Lisa! How have you been?" They let go. Briefly, she overlooked her growing girl. "Is this you back to fighting, I see?" She asked, quite astonished at her growth. Mona curtsied playfully and gave her a spin. "Look at those abdominals!" She prodded the hard muscle with a finger. Mona doubled back, tickled by her touch but very much appreciative.

"Glad to see someone likes them." She uttered to the small man behind her. The Ancient One folded his arms with a stubborn "humph!" A giggle was shared between the two women.

"And who are these gentlemen here with you?" She asked, although she could clearly see. "Brothers of Leonardo I assume?" Miwa approached them in a welcomed manner, unlike that old man.

"Hey! How'd you know?" Michelangelo joked in a cheerful manner. "My name's Mikey!"

"Michelangelo, yes." She outstretched her hand. The eager turtle took it and shook it in quick, almost violent jolts. All of a sudden, her eyes looked confused and unsure, lifting her chin up as she thought. "He doesn't look like chaos with baby eyes." She joked. Although funny to everyone else, his smile vanished now he knew how Leo and maybe even Venus had described him. Typical.

"Raphael." He took a step forward, cueing Mikey to break from her grip. This shake was barely a shake; a hand grab if you will. "Pretty sure I've come up enough times." It sounded as if he'd said this phrase many times before.

"Indeed." Her eyes narrowed. Raph knew that look very well, hence, he let go and allowed Donnie in. He was so cheerful, showing off that dorky smile of his.

"Donatello, pleased to meet you ma'am." He reached out, returning a firm shake. The end of the grip lightened up, as well as her face.

"Ah! The wonderful friend of my dear Venus. I've heard great things about you." She beamed. By surprise, the turtle blushed some.

"Oh, I didn't know I'd make it to the dinner conversation." A nervous chuckle escaped from his throat as he reached to the back of his head to rub it with the hand he offered.

Mona took a step in between them. Just the extent of her leg parted the two with a step or two back. "I know we're being all nice and revisiting each other, but can we please skip the formalities?" She asked, exchanging looks with the two visiting parties with her hands offering a change in conversation. Both were passive to the notion by their easy expressions. "Where's Leo and Venus and what's going on?"

"And how can we help?" Raphael added, walking up behind Mona and gingerly resting both of his hands atop her shoulders. The sudden weight pushed down on her, but his hands were warm, so she'll keep him for a while longer. The japanese woman tapped her finger against her chin.

"They left maybe an hour ago? They're both wearing mèilì mèilì and left for Mei mei's for a disguise to a party at this location." A piece of paper slipped out from the band of her black sweatpants. She unfolded it; the crinkle and scraping of the paper made them ever more curious as she opened it. Low and behold, the chinese characters that withheld information her own sister withheld. Raphael tried to read it along with Mona, but once he realized it was in characters, he left it to her. Both of her eyes zeroed in, reading carefully and accurately.

"We don't have a magician to come up with mèilì mèilì…" She noted while reading the rest of the details. Then, the paper began to relax, caving in for Miwa was beginning to close it back up.

"That's where you're wrong. The Ancient One dabbles in magic."

"Really?" A surprised attitude and brow rose from the lizard lady. Slowly, the green children averted their gaze simultaneously to the grumpy old man. He found himself back in his chair, lounging as he had been. His tipped hat covered the latter of his face and hid his hands in his long sleeves. "Since when did you get into magic arts?" She placed her hands on her hips. She approached him, swinging her hips sassily until she could kneel at his feet. With her presence, he used a thumb to push up his hat. The way set was sitting, his cheeks rose up to his eyes, squishing them.

"I was trained by the Tribunal. What can I not do?" The first smile she's seen since they first arrived shown upon his thin lips. "I'll help you  
He brought his hands together to let his spread out fingers touch their opposite. "for the right price."

All of a sudden, the youngest of them all got down on his knees.

"What do you need, man?!" He whined. Then, he chose to approach him by travelling by knee. Donatello grew embarrassed of his display and had to look away. Raphael scowled, shaking his head in a dissapointed fashion. Was he really doing this? Now? In front of two ninjutsu masters, he going to choose to act like a dork? "We live underground, we broke, you know when they say 'started from the bottom, now we here'?" He was now by his feet, next the the lizard lady who was shying away from him. "We live **under** them!" His hands reached out to grab the end of his robe. "And we're **still** at that level! Have a heart, old dude!" He pleaded, grovelling at this old kook's feet.

"Mikey, shhhh…" A webbed finger brushed his lips. The tingling of their touch quieted him, just as she had wanted. His pleading eyes looked to Mona, who appeared calm and understanding. They assured him that everything was going to be okay. "We'll bring leftovers back." she answered the question correctly back to the old man.

"Don't forget any sugar!" He warned, stressing the subject. Mona gave a quick nod and stood up. Mikey hastily stood, brushing himself off and trying to play it cool after that little episode. Just as Venus' would, an aura began to form around his hands. The light green magic engulfed his hands as he toyed with its properties. "Magic ugly shape shifters coming up!" he called.

Donatello sneakily leaned towards Raphael's direction.

"Did he just call us ugly?" he whispered for his ears only. Raph leaned towards him as well to blow off a little steam.

"I know he's old, but I'm about this close to whoopin' his a**." He gave an example with his fingers. Mona placed a hand on his shoulder as a reminder to calm down.

"Thank you." her voice was even and fluid as the Ancient One began to work his magic for them.

There was little time to waste. There was not enough time to reminisce in the new surrounding or to see their new forms after they were donned with mèilì mèilì. They could only trust they looked different in the eyes of Miwa and the Ancient one. Then again, they could just be toying with them. The boys don't know them at all, so who's to say that they were being truthful. The only real test was one of Donnie's favorites: a field test. Walking around in broad daylight and meeting people that weren't afraid of them was weird enough. Now, walking through a village was the ultimate test of keeping one's cool as eyes curiously viewed them as they passed by. Mona led the group, allowing Michelangelo hold her hand like a child holding onto his mother as they passed through. He was hunkered down, shielding himself behind Donatello and Raphael at his sides. Donnie made sure that he wasn't making any eye contact, but he was also tempted to take in the new surroundings ad embrace their culture through memory. Raphael, on the other hand, kept his usual scowl, growling to himself as a coping mechanism for the prying eyes. Granted, they were expectant of this type of treatment, only they imagined a lot more screaming and running away in terror. Instead, it was pure curiosity. Numerously, they had to remind themselves that even though they can see their own green flesh, the people saw something else. Even if they were made to look human, they have no idea how they look. Their only saving grace was a reflection, but they were unable to find one as they approached a humble shop with clothing in the window.

"(Mei Mei!)" Mona called as she pushed open the door and peeked inside the colorful shop. The shy boys filed in directly behind her. Michelangelo let her hand go and allowed his eyes to explore. The shop owner was at her desk. It looked like she was folding at sorting at the sight. With customers at the door, she dropped what she was doing.

"(Yes, may I help you..?)" she asked distantly for she was called by name. She couldn't place a finger on knowing this white girl in pink who addressed her. Light Skinned, well muscled, and tall, surely she would know who this woman was. Mona strode forward, quite happy. Sadly, her friend could not recognize her with voice alone.

"(It's Mona.)" She replied enthusiastically, bouncing with her confession. Instantaneously, her slitted eyes grew wide in disbelief and excitement. It didn't take long for the girl to reach up and hold her dear friend tight.

"(You just missed your sister)" she spoke in her ear, hugging her tighter. "(and that gorgeous looking boy he brought in….)" Her words trailed off as she saw the three hunks standing behind her. They looked a little like Leonardo, starting with the same brown hair color and half-nude styles. Just as they did the Ancient One, they waved nervously at her due to her expression of surprise as she gazed upon them. Mona could feel her face tense up and released her grip on her. Mei Mei couldn't keep her eyes off them as she stared at the three boys. "(More turtles or…?)" she pointed a ginger finger at them. There were more of them? What is this beautiful country of America where a turtle could be so hot?

"(Yeah, these are Leonardo's brothers.)" Mona introduced.

"Everybody, this is Mei Mei." She placed her hands on the small girl's shoulders and pushed her gently forward.

"Oh, ohayou wasabi." Donatello came forward first. Mei Mei giggled at the spiky haired boy with glasses as he bowed before her.

"Hello mustard?" Raphael quizzed, pulling him back up from his gesture.

"Did I say it wrong?" He muttered quite puzzled and unsure.

"She's Chinese, you asked in Japanese, idiot!"

"Sorry for trying to show some courtesy!" He spat back. The red banded turtle shook his head and put a hand up to silence the nerd. This one was darkest in pigment. He hid his hair underneath that oddly styled mask and donned numerous scars on his body, including the dark brown one that split his upper lip. Cocking his head to one side, he took a confident sniff before speaking.

"Ni Hao." He responded correctly. Unforeseen, a look of alarm took over, widening his eyes and drawing a blank. "Kai-Lan." he added. That wasn't right, wasn't it? Mei Mei sure showed it as she looked on with bewilderment.

"Kung Hay Fat Choy?" Donatello added, hoping that it was an appropriate phrase he has heard a handful of times. "That's Chinese, right?" He asked. Michelangelo pushed the two brothers behind him. By that look on his face, he was ready to show them how it's done. Those half lidded eyes, followed by a suave gesture intrigued Mei Mei as the smallest one with the brown freckles and tattoos was ready to spit game at her.

"Kung Fu, Chow Mein, Fortune Cookie. Panda Express, Mulan." he listed just random hullabaloo, but the smooth and confident way he said it forced her to fan herself. Before he could continue, Mona cut him off with an arm to the chest.

"I think she gets it Mikey." she held him back with an annoyed look. He could only drop into an extended frown and an "I don't know" shrug. "Why don't you leave the talking to me?" She regarded that to the rest of the gang. Unable to find the right language or phrases, it was in everyone's best interest that the english speakers speak english and the chinese speak to the chinese (language discrimination?).

"(Can you hook us up with some wardrobe?)" She asked in her second tongue. Immediately, a smile plastered onto the finely dressed girl.

"(Today's my luckiest day!)" Her voice squeaked in excitement. Mona shook her head, just as Venus knew, she knew who she was talking to. Normally, she'd probably join her or something if it were a different group of boys, but she had a mission to accomplish, and fast! Mei Mei went down the line of three boys. Each one dealt with her seeking eyes as she looked at every single feature, ranging from awkward shyness to trying to show off, giving her a laugh. "(As much as I want to get my hands on them, I simply don't have enough time to get all four of you ready and on time for the party.)" She answered honestly. It took her a while to get Leonardo ready, which took a lot longer than getting Venus done (backwards, isn't it?).

"(We really need your help. I fear Venus and Leo are going to get into a lot of trouble.)" Mona explained desperately. It has almost been a hour since they landed, meaning they were possibly in an hour's worth of trouble that they could possibly prevent if they got there as soon as possible.

"(I think I've got something, but you all have to wear it.)"

"(What do you have in mind?)"


	40. Confrontation

There was still a piece of sunlight when they reached the designated village. To warm them up, they walked them until fit and amped up their speed as time went on. Ridden frequently or not, everybody needs a warm up. The whole Wild West riding thing doesn't work like that (sorry y'all). Venus pulled back on the reins ever so gently to cue her steed to slow to a stop. It was in the Andalusian's nature to disobey somewhat, fighting back by shaking the bit in his mouth. Leonardo found it easy with Yujin, who listened and executed without question. Still, Venus was speaking and responding to her reacting steed. In a moment, he gave in and shuffled to a stop beside his equine friend.

Venus pointed to a building ahead. It was pretty easy to set it apart. Much like the Wu Kwan, it was a ruby (not much a diamond), amongst the small rural homes. From what they can tell, there was no guard outside the door, but that wasn't to say there was one. These are ninjas we're talking about; an organization of ninjas and soldiers who are sure to keep a careful eye on who and what enters.

"Let's tie them up over here." She referred to their steeds when a tree caught her eye. Thick at the base yet bent at some degree, the green plumage spread across evenly at a tall height. The location of it was not too far from the desired building and hid behind a house at angle angle. That way, the animals could be hidden as well if a problem were to arise. She clicked on, having Nan lead the way for Yujin due to the incapability of his rider. As they drew closer towards the living log, he could feel the horse slow underneath him, leading to a stop in front of it. "If we need to, we can make a quick getaway." Venus slid off her high horse.

"Gotcha." Leonardo tried to mimic her movements, though they weren't so subtle. His dismount that ended up as a climb downwards was no match for her simple slide down the leather. Both feet landed in two distinct beats against the ground. Yujin nickered and sashayed in relation to his odd movements, but did not overreact. The instant he touches the ground, a sudden shock went up his leg through his foot. They had been riding for so long and he had never done it before. It was torture on his behind as the belief was indeed true about why a cowboy walked in such a way. He forced himself to stand up straight, reaching backwards to pop his back.

"Okay Leonardo, you are…?" The question lingered as she reached around a lower branch. In her hand was a rope to the horse's halter that she had brought for such an occasion. With a good knot tied, she slipped the halter over Nan's muzzle and bridle. Once secured, he immediately dove his head down to eat by the tree's roots. She advanced to Yujin, unbuckling his own from the side of his saddle.

"Just a tourist; Lost if needed be." Leo answered, doing some random stretched hoping they would serve him justice.

"Good." She wrapped the rope about the tree on a different branch.

"So what are you then? You know, since you're not a geisha." His head cocked to the side to see hers. She was focusing on the knot until returning the gaze back.

"When we get in, I'll check out the surroundings and determine what I could be. With a gathering at this degree, women may or may not be strictly permitted." She sounded so down, so low as she presumed to secure her dark colored sweetheart.

"Okay." She was just giving Yujin assuring pats as he watched her. Such gentle hands smoothed over his velvet nose, delicate with love. Feeling the eyes, she looked up at him. Quickly (and not so smoothly), he turned away to stare at the empty spaces around him. Her smile faded and she let go of her horse's face. He felt a hand grasp his arm. By the time her looked down, she was already folding it over hers.

"Arm over, arm under. Now, stride!" The mantra repeated and continued in her head, remembering the etiquette she had left behind. Their steps were even and in pace as they left their steeds behind and towards the fire. Closer and closer they came, and more and more dos their stomachs swirled. It deemed too quickly were they about to ascend up the steps of the "forbidden" building. Both eyed each person who entered prior. Anybody is a potential danger, so best to catch any warning signs. "Keep your face still and confident when you walk in." Venus kept her head low as she whispered to him. He lowered his head to catch every encouraging word. "It is most welcoming to the people and will serve you some demand of respect." He gave her a single nod. Leo raised his head. Although his face looked deciding nod unsure, she carried it high at a comfortable rate. When he found an acceptable carriage, his expression straightened out. There was a glassy look in his eye, a look that looked right through one with relaxed facial muscles. The female turtle smiled as she watched his face transform. When he found his face, she continued to smile. He gave her a quick, playful glance before restoring his previous look. A man before them held the door open, letting the two walk into the dragon's nest.

The whole interior was marked in red and gold. Ruby colored wallpaper contrasted against gold accents and poles as the venue was set up circular. If you followed the path, you'd find doors on your right that could lead to anything. In the middle of it all, there was always a shallow set of stairs available for one to come down and join the occasion personally unless one wanted to watch it from above. Venus clutched Leonardo a bit more, trying to keep close and stay out of line. There was literally nothing they can expect but the worst if their hoax was to fail.

"(Good evening.)" one gentleman greeted the strange boy as they passed by. By this minute, Leonardo's face froze. What did he say? Is he onto us? He could only lean on Venus to help interpret. When he saw her smile, he relaxed the muscles he tensed up involuntarily.

"(Good evening, sir.)" Venus returned in Leonardo's place. Not at all thinking of Leonardo, the man went about his business. He was ok with Leo not responding and a woman instead. Good. As they walked around the path, they felt like hawks, watching everyone below on the "high" stoop. Traditional music played as drums and bells bounced around. Food was served on a platter carried by workers who went in and out of what would assumedly be a kitchen. There were not many women, but numerous men of all ages who chatted and laughed together. "Definitely a gathering, but it is highly social." She observed.

"A Foot meeting wouldn't look like this. If I learned anything from movies, they could be using this as a cover. It's best to figure if they are in a separate room." Leo added, nodding his head welcomely to a man who caught his eye as they walked.

"My thoughts exactly." No sooner did she speak, she caught sight of the looks she was getting. Passing men or women by the walls with their fans up to their eyes singled her out. The look was not at all welcoming, but they weren't going to say anything. Venus already knew. "As if I don't get enough looks as a turtle." She muttered disgustedly, glaring back at one older woman. Her skin was as porcelain as her face powder. The crooked, edgy look in her eyes were disturbed by how this one girl had no decency to keep herself out of the sun. A very rural, outdoors type girl she assumed to be. How unladylike. "All because I'm dark-skinned." (Making sure y'all know this isn't a racial diss, it's a fashion diss).

"Or because you're beautiful." the comment caught her off guard. She was keeping her eyes on her toes until that warm voice came in. Venus looked up to him. Leonardo looked extremely genuine, all the while pulling her a little closer in their arm fold. " Either one." he shrugged, making the cutest of smiles with his slight overbite. The female turtle blushed, taking her eyes away to escape from his own.

"I'd feel a lot better if we weren't possibly surrounded by a terrorist group." she muttered, bringing herself back to reality. Leonardo had to face it too. This really wasn't the time for him to be suave. Villains at every corner, but he took the chance to compliment the pretty girl.

The band grew lively then soft again as the social floor became a dancefloor in transition. The men cleared a space in the middle of the circle as the lights began to dim. Leonardo and Venus were on their toes as the room went black. Bam! A white flash revealed the three women who appeared undetected in the circle. The band began to play once again, in tune to the small fireworks that were strategically set up for the performance. Following the rhythm of the flute, a red dragon costume hopped in and encircled the women as they performed feats with their gorgeously decorated fans. Both felt obligated to hunch over in the darkness of their higher platform. Although they were on a mission, Leo couldn't help but watch the spectacle. It was something he'd never seen, or at least be able to see it in the origin of the art. Suddenly, he felt a tug on his arm. He whipped back and off to the side. Venus was up against the wall, in the middle between two doors. The turtle stopped himself short, just before he could bodyslam her. She made sure he kept close by pulling his hand towards her so no one could hear her whisper.

"Take a look at every woman you see." Man, Leo didn't want this to be the time where her hot breath sent shivers down his back. Poor man contained his composure and followed instructions. There were the women performing...and… most of the others were up were they were, either walking around in small groups or fraternizing with the male guests. " What do they have in common?" Did she really want him to think about other girls in this room?

"White faces, kimonos, black and red makeup." he listed, which didn't turn out to be so hard. Venus nodded, but even under no light, the shadows of her face weren't smiling.

"Every girl here has a pair of fans or a small stringed instrument at their sides." She groaned. "I really hate being me right now."

"Why?" He asked. Not too long did he get an answer. Venus began to unknot her robe. Leo couldn't think of what she was doing as a crimson blush took over his cheeks. He soon made him whip around in embarrassment.

"Leo, I needed you to cover me." She spoke harshly. He was too scared and bewildered when he slowly and awkwardly raised his arms, standing a foot or two away from her. She used a hand to reach his shoulder and whip him around. Now, her robe was spilling off her shoulders as she clasped it together at her chest with her other hand. "I'm just toying with it but it's disgraceful if I do this in public. I'm human to everybody else, not turtle. You got to shield over me." Her free hand grasped his and raised it up to her head, a couple inches to the left of it. She did the same to the other on the opposite side. Now Leo understood as he realized that his body and draping robe hid Venus underneath him. But, he had to admit, he felt uncomfortably close. It was already hot in there, but literally Venus could lift her head up and bump into his chin. He also felt lost, debating on whether to close his eyes or not because his position has him looking right down at her as she pulled her robe to sit just on her shoulders before they could choose to fall. He closed his eyes, hoping he didn't seem like an idiot to her as she tied her robe back up. Before she was going to allow him to back off, she took a moment to revel at how he had closed his eyes even though there was nothing for her to hide from him. How sweet and gentlemanly. Now, back to life.

"From here on out, I am a courtesan. Got it?" She urged, using a hand to gently push him off her. He opened his eyes, seeing a slightly different style before him.

"Courtesan." he repeated.

"Correct."

"How do we figure what rooms they're in?" He referred to the Foot, the reason they're here in the first place. By observation, people were going through the doors freely, just pairs of men and women who entered privately. "I see some couples walking into random rooms here. Do we do the same?"

"No." Venus shook her head, although she valued his insight. "We are visitors here. They are probably regulars." The last sentence felt gross in her mouth as she cross her arms. "Hopefully, I can try to sense them behind closed doors." She took Leonardo's arm back and wrapped it as she had it done previously. In step, they stalked by the doors. To help her single out anything she could feel, she left her eyes to Leonardo when she closed hers, feeling any tendency through her body.

"Feel anything yet?" He asked gingerly after the first five doors they've stopped by.

"A little, but it's not getting any stronger as we go along." She was honing in on something, but it felt off and eerie. Something could be blocking the transmittance. "There's definitely mischief." she felt through her soul the evil tendencies, but it wasn't strong enough to pinpoint an exact location or person.

"(Are you still with her?)" A timid tap bounced against Leonardo's shoulder. Leonardo jumped, compressing his companion's arm underneath his tense muscle. He relaxed once he figured where it came from. It was a very old man with a very strange look. A tattoo that ran along with head and a shaven do and that a lot of hairs pulled into a topknot. Prior, Venus felt something odd as they walked and it grew stronger up until the point Leo had squeezed her. She opened her eyes in shock of the suddenness. The man was her friend, Khan. What was he doing here? Maybe the same as her? But then again, this strange feeling must be associated with him. Whether it be good or bd, Venus had to know.

"I am a tourist." Leonardo enunciated in English, quite unsure with what to do with himself.

"(He is a lost tourist.)" Venus giggled in a very high pitched voice. A gingerly hand pressed against his chest as she smiled brightly to the older gentleman. "(And no, he is not. Is there anything I can do for you?)"

"(You are needed. Come with me.)" Quickly, he took her by the hand and tried to pull her away.

"Um, I don't think she's-." Leo was going to reach for her, but she dodged his hand elegantly.

"It is alright. I am ok." She nodded slowly. The way she looked, she could be nto something. It was knowing and in control.

"You're going to leave me here?!" He whined. Given all the circumstances, she was going to leave him to his devices in a terrorist party?

"I'll be right back!" Venus whispered harshly back.

"(He asked me where the bathroom was. My apologies.)" She turned quickly to the older fellow, wrapping er arm around his as she had done Leonardo.

"(I see.)" He did not take ny interest in the matter. The older man whisked his only saving grace away. He watched as they gained ground and entered one of the rooms they chose not to seek out. Leo just stood there, dumbfounded as he leaned against the wall. What was he to do now? Just then, a group of young men passed by. Each one eyed him critically. Tourist, they were probably thinking. Leonardo sighed and gave it a whirl.

"How are you doing?" His throat reached a depth that kept them moving along.

"(Dance for me. Could you do that?)" he asked so politely. A chair off to the side was dragged to the woman standing center in the room. It was pulled to sit underneath him as he rested his back against it.

"(Yes.)" Hurried, she reached for the fans by her sides. She did not want to keep him waiting. "(Would one with these fans work?)" One opened in her hand. Although it was made of paper and elegantly painted on, the thick, sturdy handles were designed to fight.

"(Yes. Please, begin.)" he asked. Khan relaxed, nearly melted into his chair once the other fan was opened and she began. It had been years since Venus watched or danced with fans before. It was not a skill she was interested in and would do other things with them rather than dance. Alas, her cover called for it . Calm and collected on the outside, panic surged internally for her brain scrambled for any moves that would keep her rhythm going and make her any less suspicious than she already was. When in doubt, recycle the moves from Gong Fu or Hai Yang. Probably not the best choices, but he's old, he'll dig the classics. He did not seem to have a preference for his mind was in two places at the moment, relishing them both. "(Everything's coming together nicely.)" she heard him mumble. "(Finally, all of my plans will begin after this day.)" That came out louder than the ast, Judging by the way he said it and with the volume, he wanted her to know something. One would not be so direct, but touch on the subject in hope to spark of some interest.

"(What are these plans of yours? May I ask?)" She gave in. These mischievous vibes were still present, and now he's talking about 'plans'. Could be anything: improvements of the council, a solution maybe, a solution to the Foot problem… why was he here? A good guess that they invited the village as a coverup.

"(You are a silenced employee of the Foot?)" Oh, snap. Her fan snapped open with a warrior's pose when he popped the question. Venus couldn't believe it. Could it be? Khan? But… but he was the one who hated the Foot. He detained that guy the last time… or he pretended to. Could it be that there are other wizards inclined to the Foot? There must be more than this story, otherwise the world will soon be in chin deep trouble.

"(I am pledged to the Foot Clan, yet I know very little.)" She tried to keep her voice even, not letting it crack and ruin her elegant appeal. Khan twisted the end of his long, black beard between his fingers.

"(It should not hurt to tell. Besides, I need to tell of my soon to be victory.)" Oh, no. A gloater. She just had to put up with him long enough to get some truth circulating. It just can't be that he was the bad guy in this. Khan is a good man. Please, just be undercover, a mole in their plan, she prayed while she composed into a crane position. "(As the next, powerful magician in line, it is only fair that I may speak for all of China.)"

"(Yes? You are put before the political leaders of the entire country.)" Venus wanted to keep it going, let it all flow out at once and keep her nerves from rioting from anticipation.

"(If I could, they would have been the dust of my shoes by today.)" He spoke so snobbishly.

"(What keeps you?)"

"(I have been offered a position to become the ruler of China with an image that does not appear to be a dictatorship. A sense of peace, if you will.)"

"(How so?)" He **is** evil. You could not imagine the terror and panic circulating within a content-looking, fabulous dancer as herself, fighting it to keep the secrets flowing. Later, she told herself, it will happen later.

"(Mistress Karai, daughter of Oroku Saki, has created alliances with the underground ambassadors of nations to gain complete control of the United States. With my cooperation, she will, in turn, support my political campaign when China's leaders fall to her hand. Of course, she will bring forth to me more.)" Both of his hands reached for his collar and taught them apart. "(For you do not know, the Council of the Chinese Magicians are quickly failing without the guidance of the Great Chung I. If I run China politically, the Council will have no choice but to turn to my guidance and control.)"

Outside the room of horrors was the party of horrors. Every turn, every person there was someone to eye him critically, telling him he did not belong there without words. Being a tourist was hard, he thought. Somehow, through the pushing and confusion, the six footer found himself in the middle of it all. Dodge that person, waiter with a full platter coming through. Most of the guests were a foot shorter than he was, so there was no way of missing him. Little scowls here and there, dancers over there, now there's a dragon-coming-this-way!

"Excuse me, dude." It apologized when it bumped the disoriented man. Leonardo had to double take. Did that dragon just say 'dude'? Taking a chance, he grabbed hold of the mouth of the beast and opened it wide for him to see inside. The person doubled back. He was white, much like himself but a hue darker. Freckles, blue eyes, but you can't miss the orange bandana around his eyes.

"Mikey?" Leo questioned in surprise.

"Do I know you?" The orange masked man lifted a brow and zoomed up close to the other. With a closer study, he realized the blue eyes and noticeable scar across one of them. "Oh, Bro, Leo hey!" He exclaimed. "You look good."

"What are you doing here?"

"Rescuing you!"

"Leo!" Another familiar voice. From behind Mikey, a taller yet lighter skinned fellow emerged with glasses.

"Donnie?" He began to search further into the costume for the rest. As word quickly spread Leo was in front of them, a brown haired, muscular woman was followed by a red banded and even more muscular male. "That's… 1,2,3,4… All of you are in there?" There was a mutual head nod from every one of them.

"Yep! So, what's going on? Anything suspicious?" Mikey whispered in a sneaky, childish voice. He leaned in close and put a hand up to the side of his mouth to make it "private", creating a harsh sound on the last word. The only thing it did was make his big brother back off and wave his hand to get rid of the stink of the young one's breath.

"No, but…" he stopped fanning. "How'd you guys know about us being here? And how are you people too?"

"Venus told Don." Raph stated blatantly. "The old guy gave us magic charm necklace things."

"She knows nothing about this so not a **word**!" Donnie dropped in. He did **not** want to be the one that told Venus' secret. Miwa already volunteered to take the blame.

"Where's Venus anyways? Is she safe? It doesn't look" she paused to criticize the nature of the surrounding women. "'woman friendly' in here."

"Not sure. Some old guy took her away for something. I don't know what a courtesan is, anyways."

"She's posing as a courtesan?!" Mona pushed the other two brothers as she pushed forward, answering in shock.

"Yeah?" He replied, quite unsure how to go about this situation.

"Leo, a courtesan is a Chinese prostitute!" She exclaimed as quietly as she could. The eyes of every single English speaking boy doubled in size. She's posing as a what?!

"Whoa. Never thought it would come to this." Mikey commented. "One day she's playing with dolls and now she's dancing on poles. So sad." The orange banded boy dropped his head low in honor of the innocent Venus de Milo. Donatello grabbed the tails of his mask. Pulling them back, they forced his head up. Neck curling all the way back and looking at his brother towering over him, he listened.

"She's pretending, Mikey." Donnie assured.

"You sure? It's always the good girls that go bad." The older brother let go of the tails to playfully knock his head forward with his nonsense.

"She said just go with it for her cover." Leonardo explained. "Besides, this guy was beyond ancient. If anything goes haywire, she can handle it." Mona Lisa was still not satisfied, as noted by the cynical expression she presented them with. The older turtle wanted to keep Venus out of any trouble if she were to pop back up and find out they're here. Of course her cover is not in any shape or form an intention. Leo saw the way she resented the fact, groaning as she changed her ways to fit the part. He was quick to defend her position."She was using her senses to flush out the hole that the Foot are hiding in. Said something about mischief and that guy came by. Surely, she left to follow a lead."

"Alright. We got to keep moving." Leonardo couldn't tell what the rush was. It was when Mona pointed with a timid finger and Leo turned to see. Yeah, it looked a little weird for the man to be carrying quite a conversation with the performing dragon. Yeah, better move on. "Keep us posted." With that, she and Raphael were pushed towards the back in their original positions. The eldest could tell as the back end became full again.

"Yes ma'am." He saluted. Donnie backed up to disappear as well so they could roam around the room. Before he could release the grip on the mouth, Mikey stopped him just before he could.

"Kung Hay Fat Choy won ton soup!" He whispered harshly. Leo raised a brow. Was he speaking Chinese?

"Hai…?" His answer in Japanese, but he really didn't understand a word he said, or believe it was actually a Chinese phrase for that matter. Mikey rolled his eyes sarcastically.

"That's my code for you got your woman stolen by an old dude." He mocked, snickering inside when he let Leo close the mouth back up.

"Go jump on the rails." He threatened as the costume backed up and skipped away.

"(Were you planning to kill Chung I?)" Venus tried to keep most of the stress of her voice at bay. At this part of the dance, her back was turned. One foot up in a crane pose and fan opened up, hanging over her head, tears tried to escape their ducts, but she wouldn't allow it. She just needed a little more time from looking at him in the face to suck them back in.

"(What was that?)" Please don't make her ask again. She changed poses to keep her from shaking her head.

"(If he hadn't left, would you have killed him to gain that power through the council?)" That came out a little stronger than she had anticipated.

"(I couldn't.) He admitted. From the tone of his voice, he was very sincere. Venus was unknowingly still when he heard his answer. It was quite a surprise to her. (His children would never forgive me. Strange creatures they are. The young one is a magician as well, but she has no clue. And her oldest sister,)" an inappropriate chuckle. (" a disgrace to the family. Quits everything for she was impregnated before marriage. Not only that, but she killed the child. A pity really, but who's to say we should have more snakes like her running around our village.)" He was asking for an amen, but would not get one out of the entertainer. Can she beat him up right now? Every bone in her body screamed to stay cool and not blow her cover, but then again there was this other nice voice screaming 'DRAG HIM!'. She kept her dance, yet it was less elegant and more simple to execute. Repeatedly, her bottom lip was chewed, fighting back every motive to break,

"(Mona Lisa is not a snake.)" she bit her lip back to keep her from letting her feelings get in the way.

"(What?)" The old man straightened up in his seat.

"(She's not a snake.)" she repeated.

"(No, no. I didn't mention her name to you, did I?)" Oh my gosh, he got out of his seat. She's done it now. Khan approached quietly, head cocked to one side in wonder.

"(No, you didn't, but-.)" She tried to keep dancing, looking as innocent as possible."(I have heard of her tale. The two reptilian sisters of the brush.)" she explained. Khan came closer and closer to her.

"(Nobody should know of them outside of the village.)" Venus straightened up when he drew a hand towards her. There was no glow and no tension in his fingers. He bought it! But now, he was getting really than what Venus would ever call comfortable to a menace like him.

"(Well, someone must be leaking this information to the wrong people.)" How can she talk so smoothly while being forced to stare into the eyes of an evil man? His hand touched her face, fingers caressing her cheeks. She wanted to scream 'back up!' but could not. Could this possibly be how Mona felt way back when she was being mind controlled. Khan was now her Bebop as he stared into her beautiful eyes. The girl's breathing hitched for she had not anticipated his old fingers dragging down to her jaw and down her neck. Was he really going to do this now? How can she get out of this? She certainly did not want to get this far with him. Just get some information and make a lame excuse to leave. How could the time get away from her. As she thought of a plan, Khan made his hands and eyes go down her collarbone. With prying eyes, he took notice of a piece of stringed leather around her neck, hidden within her robe. With full right to do so, he slipped his hand shallowly into the fold of her robe. Venus had no idea what to do as he made his hand inside her clothing. Suddenly, his hand clasped together with immense force and pulled at the charm, undoing the knot around her neck.

"(Mèilì mèilì!)" he shouted, glaring at the stolen charm. He felt something off about this girl when she mentioned the unknown. When he looked up, he was less than surprised who it had been. What he saw was no longer the golden curled, dark skinned girl. Now, there was an anthropomorphic turtle he had know for so long, but not her cal stature was replaced with ever flowing tears.

"(How could you? I thought you were our friend!)" She screamed. Khan took a couple steps back, quite affected by her pitches.

"(You don't understand, foolish child. With the council dwindling, the only way to keep it alive is to take over China.)"

"(You just took ten steps to solve two.)"

"(If I rule China, that makes me automatically in power over everything. The council refused to have a single leader and would rather work together. It's not working! We're dying! Mystic arts will be gone if I don't do this!)" He bellowed.

"(But taking over China, under the Foot clan!?)"

"(A small inconvenience, but I'll do whatever it takes to keep the council alive.)"

"(There's other ways to fix it.)" Venus shook her head, This just couldn't be. All the lies… it just couldn't. (" I'm here now, let me help! Chung I was my father, I'm sure that-.)"

"(You are not the biological daughter of Chung I!)" He cut off in distress. "( He has no heir, no continuance of his great blood! You have nothing of him! Neither you or your sisterly snake!)" Out of stress, he threw the magic charm away from him on the other side of the room.

"(Don't do this! I know there's good in you-.)"

"(My "good" is only available if they would let me be in charge of them! If they don't do it willingly, I shall do it by force!)"

"(I'm not going to allow it!)"

"(I did not ask for your approval, child!)" "(Do yourself a favor, and leave. Now!)"

"(Over my dead body!)" Suddenly, her hands glowed. Khan was ready for a blast of some sorts, but instead the aura was in another part of the room. It surrounded the charm and lifted it. The old man allowed it for there was no other use for the charm that could stop his plans, Merely a cover up item and nothing more. Soon, it's magic will have no effect. She brought it to her. When it hit her chest, her magic created a new knot around her neck and cloaked her with her human body.

"(That can be arranged.)" A yellow energy orb began to form. Once fully charged, he threw it at her. Venus was quick to counter with one of her own. It hit a little later than his, so the aftermath was closer to her, The power sent her back, but she kept on her feet. "(You are the only magician to know of my intentions. I was able to mask any emotion sense for the most part. Congratulations.)" he chuckled, taking strong steps to the side. He wanted to be in control of the situation, thus giving him the illusion of it early in the fight. Quite clever.

"(A sense I've used quite often.)" She smirked before sending a surprise back. The ray of light was hit by his own magic who shied it away from him. A glimmer of it, however, marked up the side of his body. The old man put a hand over the wound as an impulse. It stung, but not enough to bring him down, He looked back into the eyes of the young girl. She stood so proud, so strong. How cute.

"(I can tell.)" He sneered. "(Amazing that someone could like you so much in such a way. Maybe even love.)" He had used the same intruding senses on her. She knew who he was talking about, but she couldn't' let that phase her. He **knew** she was insecure and intended on using that against her. Venus had to shut it out. She knew she wasn't ugly, she knew that she was special, she knew that she was beautiful and there was a whole list of those who think the same. She stood her ground and smiled. Both fists were clenched up to her chin.

"(Amazing how someone as respected as you could corrupt.)"

One by one, people of the party began to quiet their chatter. When one asked their comrades to stop and listen to the weird muffling sounds, they shushed their friends and then forth. The rotation got around to the middle of the room when Leonardo took notice of the discrepancy. With the room quieted, there were some sounds he could make out. The sound of what a cartoon gun would make in an old cartoon, grunting, but nothing giving them direction as to where it's coming from since no damage was made on the building despite its shakes. The echoing of the sound distorted and was deceiving to the ear. Leo knew. He recognized that sound and knew exactly where it was coming from. People were apologized to frantically as he pushed the crowd and parted them to make way for him. As he tore closer to the outer ring, the people took notice and moved out of his way. Leonardo was at the base of the stairs when another rumble shook up the building. His head shot up when the sound of splitting wood cackled. A yellow light caused the audience to react violently, especially when a body was flying in the air. Leonardo charged those stairs, gaining as much momentum as he can. Venus seemingly lifeless body was doomed to fall flat on the unforgiving ground. At the top, the athlete leaped. Gaining a substantial amount of airtime, he grabbed the girl and snatched her down from the splintering wood. The people did not know how, but Leonardo used his shell to cover Venus from the falling wood. When the last of it took its turn to fall, he lifted himself off of her. She wasn't bad. Scrapes from the wood was definitely there in the appropriate places.

"Leo!" Her vision cleared to see the worried turtle looking over her.

"Whoa! Venus!" He didn't know if she could stand, so he placed his hand gingerly under her head. Her eyes squeezed in pain from being slammed against such heavy wood. Surely, without a shell she would have been done for. "You alright?"

"It's Khan!" She forced out. Her hand was offered, indicating that she wanted to stand. Leonardo kept his hand behind her head and put the other in her own as they both pulled to get the turtle girl to stand.

"Khan? Who's Khan?" She was unsteady and had to lean on him for support. To answer his question, the older man emerged from the sawdust, standing in the middle of the dusty room. A few men rushed towards him. The older gentleman only had to point directly to the two diversified people to divert the men's attentions. "Oh boy."

"(Kill her!)" Khan ordered. Swiftly, the men sprinted, flipping down the stairs and made a beeline towards the two despite the crowd's fears.

"What'd he say?" He pushed Venus behind him, pushing them back from the men.

"He ordered them to kill me." The turtle girl stumbled, in which she grabbed the rim of his shell to keep herself up. She really was banged up pretty bad. The turtle before her reached inside his robe and withdrew two katanas from their sheaths at his sides.

"Not today, they won't!" He affirmed, squatting low and clenching the blades tight.

The first to reach him drew a single sword from the sheath at the side of his hip. When he came down, the metal rang across the room. The second the people saw a sword fight break out, they panicked and fled for the exits (shouldn't they have ran when Venus' body flung from a wall?). The Foot member, totally unaware that he was fighting a turtle, went to go in for a punch with his empty hand when he saw the opportunity. Crack! The felling of his hand faded away. He retracted it, holding it in his other hand very carefully. Then, dazed, he looked up at Leonardo. The caucasian man turned to look at his back, very confused as to why he did that. But then, he remembered. The mere thought of it brought a devious smile to his face.

"My turn." he spoke slyly. Oh man, how the soldier looked ready to cry when Leo swung his sword again. In pain, he released his hand to defend himself with his sword. They metal slipped off one another as the soldier went through with the motions, opening up his back to his opponent. One good elbow in him back brought him to the ground.

"It's ninja time!" Mikey called to the furthest in the costume. Following the sound of grunts and metal clangs, he located the commotion through the crowds of people and viewed his now fighting brother. "Hey, hey, whoa!" He called as the family withdrew their weaponry and gripped the top of the costume.

"What?!" Mona shrieked, both annoyed and in a hurry.

"Can we pop out like the Huns from Mulan? Just straight up 'ARRRGH'?!" Mikey pitched with enthusiasm. Before an answer could be made, the three taller siblings blankly pushed up the roof of the costume and turned it over. No fancy reveal, no screaming. Just… stood there. They took a second to glower at him before charging into the fray. Michelangelo was left behind to pout and look back at the costume. What he couldn't see were to two Foot soldiers advancing towards him. His body sulked as he withdrew the nunchucks at his side.

"I never" He began to swing his arms and chucks around wildly as an upset child would, "get to do what I want!" He whined. A moan from behind made him jump and turn around. In a fighting stance, he was ready to take on the ghost who yearned. A little sight down revealed to him the two outcold Foot Soldiers he unknowingly beat up. Michelangelo made an 'o' with his mouth, holding a fist to it with widened eyes. Man, he did them dirty.

"Yeah Boy!" He shouted. "What's up?!" He howled over them. The turtle gave them another cocky expression and gave his nunchucks a whirl before hustling over to his family.

Khan emerged from the sanctity of the room. His eyes gazed around the chaos that surrounded him. There were more fighting against him than he had thought. More colorful characters were added into the picture. From careful observation, he can see the necklaces around their necks. More disguises, it may be.

"(Remove their necklaces!)" He shouted from his spot. The orders were easier said than done. Three were off to the side, trying to fill in their quota first by taking down the biggest one with the red mask wound around his head. Each took a turn to try to kick or punch the person, but it proved too difficult as he dodged every single one. It also seemed that he was smiling, highly enjoying their demise.

"Nice Dragon kick. Ah, sweet double Phoenix punch." He commented sarcastically. " Hey! You know this one?" A 180 twist of the hips granted a flying leg to the now flying men to the ground. Another off to the side, twirling and swinging a Bo staff that defected their swords and took a jab at their soft stomachs, lurching them forward in pain. Despite such views, he had more and more men. Those colorful characters could not last too long. In the corner of his eye, he can see a splash of light blue on the floor. Battered, Venus was still suffering from the effects of her earlier defeat. Khan grinned before glowing.

"(Let's take it to my domain.)" He whispered to himself. His eyes began to glow white, and in return, Venus' did as well.

The world around her disappeared, transporting her to a place far beyond comprehension. The skies, if they could be called that, was a gradient of a dark coral and white. There was no floor to touch, in which she was floating in the atmosphere. Despite the colors, items and pieces of sets that made up the previous ballroom floated around them in a chaotic state. She had to question: Why am I here? Her answer came when a quick flash of a bright light simmered down to show the body of Khan. He appeared stoic and strong, looking over her pitifully, seeing a broken bird on the ground. She growled at his presence.

"(Didn't think you'd survive a physical plane?)" she mocked, straightening herself up. The older man chuckled to himself, humoring the child. From her groggy expression, she was still feeling the effects on her body.

"(Anyone can kill physically. This will be far more amusing to me.)"

"(Bring it on!)" Little bursts of energy flung from her hands, hurdling in his direction. Creating a type of shield around his body, Khan deflected then once they hit. Behind his wall, the sound and impact of the balls vibrated against it, feeling its power indirectly. When the hail was over, it became his turn to retaliate. His entire body glowed yellow as the aura surrounded him. Only one of his hands was more concentrated than the other while the power source built up. At its peak, he forced the beam onto her. The girl was quick to react to the Magic by placing a shield of his own. As the yellow clashed with the blue, a blue aura spilled fiercely off the sides of which her shield took up. Four separate bursts fled from the sides, aiming at the offend man. He stopped his magic to defend himself from her own. Each burst was caught in both of his crossed hands and feet, but it did push him back on the plane.

"(I must admit, you are raw.)" He levitated back up to her height. Venus stood ready. It was quite a big power surge that drained her of the majority of her energy. Khan knew it and she had to hold herself up. "(but out of my league.)" The girl's eyes widened in horror. A bright yellow bubble surrounded him. Bolts of lightning and other explanatory lines ran around him in a storm. She had never witnessed magic in this type of state. That was the moment Venus knew. She was going to lose this battle.

In the real world, things were getting a little better. The small family was getting tired, but the soldiers weren't the best fighters to go up against. They still havent figured why some of their tactics didn't work when they hit them in the right spots, meaning they have not successfully ripped off a single one's necklace yet. But that was going to change very quickly. At the moment, Mona was having a wonderful time with the boys. A couple cute little team-ups here and there, but mostly independent. Currently, she was finishing off the last of her opponents. She jumped over the charging man, pushing off his back. When she hit the ground, her leg knocked him off his leg with a single swing. His back hit hard, choking him with the impact. The girl smiled at his discomfort. Leonardo approached her, but not to give her some praise, explanations, or deliver a witty phrase. He noticed Khan standing at the top of the stairway. A blank expression followed by white glowing eyes kept him still. Coming close, Michelangelo was busy using the pathway as a place to run to the other side of the room to assist Raphael.

"Mikey!" He shouted. The boy stopped on on leg. A couple jumps forward on it kept him from falling over as his back leaned back to see what he wanted.

"He's the bad guy!" He explained.

"Khan?" Mona shrieked. Leonardo nodded, placing a hand on her shoulder. It shocked her tremendously. Mikey was brought to the attention of the still man. Since he wasn't posing any threat at the moment, he came up close and sneaked a peak of his face.

"So?" he asked nonchalantly.

"He's right there! Clock him already!"

"Yo! I'm not gonna punch an old dude!"

"But he's evil!"

"So?!" this time, it was a lot more sassy and resistant.

"That's a bit of a double standard." Donnie added before swinging his staff at the few of the standing Foot soldiers.

"Look. I'm not gonna hit him, and y'all aren't either. Leave it to V." Leonardo raised a brow.

"What are you talking about?" Mona had to guide his eyes by pointing to the turtle girl hiding close by. Although the shadow hid her body, they could see those bright eyes glowing vividly.

"She's fighting him mentally. What if she messes up his brain or something?" Raphael asked when he hoisted two men in both hands. As their fate would have it, their bodies clashed together. Outcold, Raphael dropped them like rags.

"He's old anyways, probably forgot to turn the sink off at home." Mikey defended. He put a hand on the old man's shoulder. Before he could touch him, a shocking sensation pulsed through his arm. The turtle yelped and gripped his upset arm. Curious, and stupid, he tried it again. The same results occurred. So much for the punching plan.

Harmless on the outside, they couldn't not imagine what was happening on the other side. Venus was down. She could not protect herself from what Khan had delivered. It did not kill her, but she was sure he was going to finish her off. The entirety of her body either burned or stung from the unknown properties inflicted upon her. The man stood over her, watching her try to get up but definitely couldn't.

"(If you had just let me help the people, you would not be in this predicament.)" He glowed once more. The same unforgiving orbs of light surrounded him again. This was it. Venus, seeing her fate, put her head back down. Khan was not the last person she wanted to see. Instead, she'd rather remember the life she's led. She couldn't recall the wonderful life in China without Khan somehow being present. Instead, she recalled New York. The amazing lights and culture diversity. The adventures, the lessons, Splinter, her new brothers, Mona. Such beautiful figures. "(Give my apologies to Chung I when you see him.)" He asked. Khan unleashed his light in close proximity. The brightness was too hot to watch as it hit the girl. Even he had to back up from the heat. This was burning her alive. Both guilt and relief washed over him as the light began to dim. Venus as a threat was gone, but surely her sister and allies will come after him. He thought of his plans that his empire will be much bigger by the time they figure it out. The light simmered away and what he saw was shocking.

The yellow light slipped off the rainbow colored bubble that covered the girl. Venus was in just as much shock as he when she looked up and saw that she was still alive.

"(It is over, Khan.)" a deep-bass voice echoed. Suddenly, the invisible figures of twenty numbers revealed themselves. It was the wizard's council. Everyone wielded a hand that outstretched their colorful auras to protect the turtle girl. Venus wanted to cry at the arrival of her salvation as they stood up to Khan.

"(Gentlemen! Please! I was only trying to help!)" He nervously backed up.

"(By attempting to kill the daughter of Chung I?)" One accused, offering a hand to the proof below them.

"(It's not what it looks like! I swear!)"

"(That's not what he told us.)" Another chimed in.

"(Who?)" Khan asked. No answer. Just a squint of the eyes. Khan took the time to try to figure it out while one floated down to Venus.

"(Mei Pei Chi,)" The field around her dispersed as he came to her aid. He turned her around carefully. Her eyes were partially shut from fear and happiness. "(will you help us?)" he asked, which was also his way of asking if she was alright. He helped her to her feet when she gave an unsure nod. He noticed her struggle, but she had to stand. The man let her lean her heavy figure against him. Slowly, she rose her head from her chest. What she saw was the most promising sight she had seen. With the council behind them, Khan stood, shook in terror. Now, it was her turn to get back at him.

"(Goodbye, Khan.)" One granted as he raised his hand. The rest followed suit. The man who held Venus held up Venus' arm so she may participate in his demise. Much obliged, she tried to contain herself.

"(No! Don't do this! You all need me! I was trying to help!)" Nothing was going to stop them once their iridescent colors flung from out of their souls. Khan's single magic couldn't help the twenty-something others that assaulted him. His screams of anguish filled the space as he doubled over from their power. The next phase was prepared and ready. The man turned to Venus. When she caught his gaze, he gave a nod and they both looked back at Khan. He started his magic. With his hand around her wrist, the green color surged through hers like a glowing spiderweb up to her hands. It was charging her own, combining their powers. A look of awe took over her face as she saw a teal orb form in the palm of her hand. Longer and longer, the power built. When she saw it fit, they released it together. The bolt smacked into Khan. Louder shouts emerged for a second until it became silent. The magician's stopped their flow of magic and lowered their hands. Before there was nothing. What was left of Khan was gone. Just as the man disappeared, so did their surroundings.

Her eyes were blurry, but she could make out a few heads over her. A couple blinks, her vision began to sharpen. "You ok?" It was a caucasian woman, but that pink around her eyes and long hair could only be one person. It was her sister. How she got there, she didn't know, but she sure was glad she was with her. From what she could tell, she lay in her lap, in her arms as she gazed upon her worryingly.

"Mona?" She asked, voice cracked. A subtle nod. "Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." Not really, but better than not.

"Good." Mona's voice dropped low. Venus wanted to raise a confused brow, but rather waited. "If I catch you actin like a h**, we're gonna have some serious problems!" So much attitude!

"Missed you too." Venus muttered. She tried to sit up, using Mona's assistance.

"What happened in there?" Leonardo asked. He was squatting besides her, along with the rest of the squad who had mysteriously showed up just as Mona had.

"I punched an old guy." She did not want to tell a long tale, so this was explaination enough for her. Mikey's face built up. He sucked in his lips while forcing air against his closed lips.

"I TOLD YOU!" He bursted, shouting into Leo's ear. The eldest turtle closed his eyes from the impact of his voice. A general laugh humored him after a hard fight. Donatello stood up first to extend a hand to her. Venus took the friendly gesture. As she rose out of Mona's lap, she tried the best she could to help her sister up without hurting her. A couple grunts lead her to her feet. Donnie held her against him until she hung an arm around him shoulders. She smiled.

"Was this your doing?" She quizzed.

"Uh- uh actually, your friend Miwa called us." The words spilled quickly out of his mouth. The girl nodded.

"You're a terrible liar." she giggled. With that quick, shocked look in his eyes, he couldn't hide that from her. "And thank you." She squeezed him gently with the arm around her shoulders as a type of hug. He smiled warmly from her affections. He knew he made the right choice.

They heard footsteps click against the tile floors. The family shut their heads up. The three boys surrounded their downed sister in protection as the man approached. It was Hong, the man who assisted Venus in the other plane. To call off the dogs, she placed a hand on Leonardo's shoulder. He turned to see her calmed expression on her face. He then called off Michelangelo and Raphael as they let the man gingerly approach them.

"(Khan is no longer a threat to the world.)" he informed with the most peaceful mind.

"(Where'd he go?)" Mona asked.

"(Where he can no longer do any harm.)"

"(You mean…?)" Her finger pointed to the sky. The brothers followed it, wondering to what she was talking to him about. Nothing but a roof. The man chuckled briefly.

"(No, a different dimension.)"

"(Thank you so much, Hong.)" Venus bowed her head. He returned the favor by bowing fully for his friend could not.

"(How did you know I was in trouble and that is be here?)" Another question when he rose.

"(An old friend came to us.)" His explanation was followed by a knowing smile. The girls looked to one another and smiled, then back to him, stifling their giggles. "(I must help clean up this mess. Excuse me girls.)" Coming in from behind, a couple more council members showed up by the doors to direct work for hired help to clean the mess Khan inflicted upon the gorgeous building.

"So…" Michelangelo broke the silence. "Can we go stop to eat?"


	41. Search of the Promised Land

"I can't believe you took my horse!" Mona exclaimed heartily, trying to keep the stick of kâo ròu from falling into her mouth from which it hang from. It had been a while since they've all gotten back. Miwa had already prepared an easy dinner for the additional four, large teens she was to receive. The boys showed up first after Mona "insisted" she rode her horse back and not Leonardo. This, they've been properly entertained by the older man who used every insulting word to come by to show his disgust of them all showing up. No one really took it to heart and played it off as the old man who's just a little "coo coo in the head". They gathered around the table, either standing or sitting (giving Miwa and the Ancient One first priority, of course) as they came together, loud in reverie.

"What do you guys feed him? He's a bucket full of crazy!" Leo spoke, clearly remembering his experiences with the little cyclone she called a horse.

"I prefer free spirited." She defended with a smile, knowing to the fullest extent how Nan could be a handful. A gathered laugh from the table emerged.

"You can fix him to calm him down, right?" The blue banded terrapin took a bite after asking.

"He is." The room quieted. "Yujin is the one not castrated." A look of shock took over the leader's face. Nan's rambunctious cords; cut but don't stop. Then Yujin, intact and gentle.

"Whoa." Was the only response Leo could give them. His priceless expressions created another wave of laughter.

"I can't believe you guys drove the plane over here." Venus exclaimed, chewing as she spoke. The voice she created was too much for Donatello not to mimic back comedically. The turtle girl closed her mouth and smiled but not before giving him a playful shove. He did not retaliate for she was sitting in one of the chairs amongst the older people. She still hurt some and it was best for her to chill out and rest up. It's not everyday you get hit by a stinging, magical mass meant to kill you.

"Wasn't easy either." Vern chimed in on his behalf. His head rose from the two arms placed on the table so he may briefly rest his head there. "I had to dodge either mountain or tree, then avoid crop fields." He gave himself a little 'whoo' for his efforts. With no quicker way to get over in time, they resorted to driving the plane over. Could you imagine? Just watching a plane drive slowly, not at all in the sky, around your village to some unknown destination? "That was an art in itself, especially since I did it with 0 sleep." A hand of his pushed up against his right eye. Miwa, removed her tea cup from her lips and set it down with both hands.

"You are all welcome here for as long as you like." She offered.

"Speak for yourself!" The Ancient One spoke out loud in utter disgust. The heads turned to the little old man who was stuffing his face as he continued talking. "Too many green monkey boys to feed! I needed more food than what we started with!" His sneer was followed by a scowl when he pulled up hit hat that he instead to wear even when he was at the dinner table. Based on the brushed off reactions the native family bore, the rest paid no mind to the grouchy, greedy old man.

"Thank you, Miwa, but we promised our father we'd be home as soon as possible." Explained Donatello. He gripped the top of Venus' chair tight.

"If you are regarding about tomorrow, surely you would like the morning in the village?" She suggested, voice growing higher in pitch along with her sentence. "From what I know, this is the rare chance to walk above ground and interact with people." Finished with her own meal, the woman rose to collect her trash and offered any others. Raphael and Donatello were the firsts and thanked her when she turned away.

"Don't tell me we're not going to take advantage of that!" It didn't take long for Leo to get a heavy shoulder caused by the pulling hands of Mikey. The little child stuck out a lip and busted out the pleading eyes in order to break him down. There was no need for that as he dusted him off.

"We are, we are." He repeated, nodding his head as he grinned. Leo wouldn't mind another lap around the village before he left anyways. It'd be cool to show his brothers all the things he's seen and were he and Venus had gone.

"You children did a wonderful job today." Miwa complimented as she took away Michelangelo's plate of oily kabobs. "Khan." she muttered when she turned away. "Our great friend Khan associated with the likes of them!" she exclaimed in disbelief. She did not want to believe it, but Mona and Venus would not lie about such matters concerning their friends. To think that he had wanted to dictate over them made her uneasy and questioned his every motive and interactions with her and the village people. The latter of the table turned to her direction as she set the plates in the sink to be washed promptly; kabobs discarded in the trash can. "I simply cannot stand the Foot clan! Makes me sick to my stomach just thinking about them."

"Miwa, why do you hate the Foot so much?" She paused and spun around. It came from Leonardo, whose eyes were as seeking as his question. "I mean, I understand the general stance, but you show an utter disgust to them." Miwa had to think back. It is true, her true colors concerning the Foot were always negative when the children would bring up their whereabouts since they had arrived. The hand-towel hung from a hook on the cabinet was snatched and used to clean off her gentle fingers.

"May I tell you children a story?" She asked invitingly, looking into the towel as she asked. A couple glances, but there was no objection She took that as a yes."My father, Hamato Yoshi, had a pet rat. Her name was Rōzusōn and he loved her like no other. One time, he had bred her, but when she bore, only one had survived. He called him Hehen for the young rat was "a thorn in his side" or, at least his teeth usually sunk into his fingers." She giggled at the memory. That warm expression of her remembering her father brought a collective smile throughout the family's faces. "Shortly after, Rōzusōn had fallen ill and passed away. Just as I, he was a ninjutsu master who used his dark arts for good as many urban ninjas now do. For years, he meddled with the Shredder's plans while he reigned in Japan. One day, he confronted him. I was not there and neither was my mother. Till his death, my father fought to rid of his control on Japan, but had failed. Before Oroku Saki could leave, he spotted the young rat in his cage. He took the grey animal, believing he would make use of him as an experimental intelligence creature and shipped him off to his new domain in New York." Miwa removed the towel she had dawdled with her hands and hung it on the hook. There was a knowing look about her that directed to each brother. With the fashion of doing so, the four wanted to believe there was some speculation. They looked to one another, silently asking each other what could be meant by that.

"It's not a riddle, stupid monkey boys!" the Ancient One criticized as he got up from the table. He left the room; no further comment and did not put away his dish. Miwa shook her head as the old man left for his nap. All of a sudden, Raphael smiled. He brought it up from the floor and showed it to his brothers. The other three were confused until Donatello had himself an "ah ha!" moment. Not a second passed by shortly after until Leonardo realized. Unfortunately, Michelangelo was still trying to figure it out, replaying it back in his head.

 _Her dad had a rat. "A Thorn in his side". Shipped to-."_ it hit him; big eyes and all. He raised his hands to his head until showing them the gesture of 'mind blown'. Finally understanding, they were able to share the moment properly. Venus and Mona slowly understood and shared the moment with one another with knowing glances.

"Thank you, Miwa." Leonardo removed himself from behind the chair and approached her by the sink. She knew what was coming as she watched the young one straighten up and leaned over slowly in her honor. "For everything." She placed a hand on his shoulder. He cranked his neck to see her pleased expression.

"Anything for one of my favorite students." Slowly, Leonardo rose to grin. Miwa really did give him the chance of a lifetime, and now, he was finished with his training. What more can a turtle ask for? Behind Leonardo, a hand raised. The older woman, leaned off to the side to see past Leonardo. Noticing, he stepped aside and also wanted to see what was happening behind him. The hand came from Mona Lisa whose face was blank and expressionless.

"But I'm first, right?" She wanted to assure for bragging rights. The table was in another fit of laughter from her joke. For the sake of it, Miwa nodded, but couldn't contain her giggles. One would have no idea how good it felt to be at this dinner table.

"Ready to go back to NYC?" Michelangelo pushed Donatello away some to get to Venus. He squatted by her side, using hind hand to grip the top of the chair to keep him from falling on his shell. The action frightened her, but for a moment. "We've got some pretty cool surprises waiting back home."

"Oh, no. What is it?" The blue banded terrapin asked in regret.

"Gonna have to find that out for yourself!" Michelangelo winked, but that brought no ease to the older brother for he anticipated a groan for later on. Venus, on the other hand, wasn't looking so easy. Her body weight shifted on the chair and kept her eye contact to the ground.

"I've been thinking…" the female terrapin drifted off, deciding whether or not she wanted to admit to them. "I have to stay." The breaths at the table were held in. Maybe this was a mechanism to hear her better for surely they didn't hear her right. Did they? The air grew awkward from the stillness up till a point where Raphael had to break the silence.

"Venus, if you don't want to leave-."

"No! Heavens no! I'm ready to go back to New York!" She cried; now, a collective sigh of relief. Donatello leaned over the top of the chair to catch an angle of her face.

"What's keeping you?"

"The Wizards Council." she breathed, quite tired. Her wounds were taking a toll on her. "Khan is right. It's dying with Chung I and even more so with Khan in absence." A hefty breath escaped her lungs. Donatello placed his hands on top of her shoulders in exchange from the chair. Michelangelo proceeded similarly, placing a hand atop her knee. The female terrapin grinned from the kind gestures. "It'd be only fair if I stay to sort things out. I am the daughter of Chung I, it is my duty." Her explanation was thorough and sensible. She was trained personally by the great master. Surely, she will find a way. But, of course the brothers (and sensei) would dislike the idea of losing their gentle sister for a while longer. Alas, she has a responsibility and not one was to get in her way. Meanwhile, Mona was thinking up an idea of her own.

"Well, if that's the case, then I'm staying too!" Mona offered. Venus turned quickly towards her sister.

"Mona, you have no obligation to stay. You aren't a magician."

"But as Chung I's other daughter, I say I do." Her offer was firm and proud with a look to match. Venus couldn't argue with that. In fact, it will be fun to have her sister here to relieve and create new memories. The turtle girl grinned, and soon, the lizard lady copied.

"Aw!" The sudden loudness coming from the youngest turtle caused a jumpscare at the table. "How long y'all gonna stay here?" he groaned.

"Not too long."

"Just enough time to get these old guys in line." Mona elaborated playfully. The orange clad terrapin immediately tensed up. Then, he relaxed as he lifted a knowing brow and lifted up a hand to snap with.

"Okay ladies now let's get in formation!" he sang, moving his hand rhythmically with his snaps.

"Exactly!" Mona pointed out. To further his act, he lifted up a 'wait' finger and patted his body, looking for something.

"I got some got hot sauce in my bag." he said as he kept looking for the imaginary bag.

"Swag." Raphael nodded across the table.

"Hot sauce?" Leonardo asked the next oldest.

"You missed out, bro." was the only explanation he could give him. Although confused and usually wishing to seek out an answer, Leonardo just couldn't this time. So many secrets, so much sleep needed.

"I'm down for the count." he put his hands up in surrender. They did notice his eyes were half closed and he appeared less animated at the table. Saluting them first, he turned and sought out to head back to the house in which he stayed in.

"What do you mean? I'm all types of awake!" Mikey stood up, trying not to use Venus' knee as his push-off. He lifted his big arms, stretching them out wide. Leo turned, pointing at the ground with both of his hands as he walked slowly backwards.

"Nighttime here. Darkness. Chinese people sleep at this hour." he replied flatly and smartly. His younger brother had a realization and dropped the matter quickly.

"And so does the Falcon." Vern rose. Upon standing, he yawned, but tried to keep it quiet to be polite to his hosts.

"I'll lead you to one of our guest rooms." Miwa pressed a hand behind his back to gently guide him away from the kitchen light. When they passed Leo from the entryway, he eyed them until disappearing into one of the hallways.

"Falcon?" His brow was raised and pointed a thumb in their direction. Donatello waved him off.

"We'll tell you when we're on the plane." that sounded like a groan to him. Surely, it's something stupid Vern came up with. One more mystery he'll have to figure out for later.

"No reason to be awake now. I'm going to try to fall asleep or something. Care to join?" He asked the remaining family members. Venus nodded. He offered a hand and she graciously put hers on top of it. The girl couldn't help feeling like an elderly woman as her body rose slowly with the aid of the kind boy. Still sore, he held her up as she explained where they were to go. With a ways to go, it was best that they should get going.

"Not quite." Mona pushed off the chair she stood behind. "I want to see my colt." Quickly, she made an exit to the back door where her gelding and the stallion were tied to a tie bar for the night.

"Right behind you." Raphael pushed in his chair and followed out back. He slammed the old door behind him, sending a ring throughout the room. The only ones left were the three youngest of the bunch.

"You guys can hang with me in my room tonight." She offered. Donatello nodded, not quite sure how to respond but focused his energy on getting her home. He knew that she hated to feel helpless and weak, so carrying her was off the table. Before they could leave the Wu Kwan, Michelangelo impatiently tapped on his brother's shoulder. Unable to turn around completely for Venus' sake, he only turned his head.

"You wanna be my snuggle buddy?" the young one asked childishly. The purple clad terrapin remained silent; his expression blank as he carried on moving his best friend through the door. "Is that a 'yes'?"

There was no light outside. The subtle glow of the village's lanterns kept the landscape around them from being utter darkness. Miwa had lit some lanterns on the back porch, yet they could only outline the bodies of the tied animals and show a reflection in their eyes. Raphael was just taking a seat on an empty space of the bar when Mona hopped on Nan. Although bareback, the horse recognized her voice and touch and allowed her to sit atop his back. He shuffled in his spot as she leaned over, placing her head on the side of his neck and stretching her legs and tail out until they hung off the back of his hindquarters. His smell, his warmth and fur, hearing his heartbeat eased her and took her to another planet as she lay there. Raphael hung out in the silence, not wanting to spoil the moment with his voice. He knew darn well how much being with this animal meant to her. He simply enjoyed watching her take it all in being home and with everything she knew once more.

"It's going to suck having to leave everything again, especially my little cherry bay baby!" Loving hands caressed the furrows cheek of the wild beast. It snorted, lifting its head to a high position as she scratched him. The lizard girl giggled at her pet's reactions and had to move her head in respect to his own. He's never changed.

"Not really." He spoke uneasily. Good thing she really couldn't see his face.

"Sure, he'll be in my heart and all that…. Blah, blah, blah!"

"No. Mikey and I found that picture of him in your room." At the moment, he could feel the silence as well as a look that showed 'YALL WERE IN MY ROOM?!' was surely there, in which he made his explanation quick. "We made a few calls and now, they're ready to go. When you leave, or course."

"What do you mean?" she pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"Jamboree cow horses. April made arrangements for them to stay there. They're a family friend and the closest neighbors to her family estate. Full visitation rights and use. If Venus would allow it, they'd like to use Yujin as a stud. Of course, you can't use Nan, as we learned earlier, which would be a bummer." he chuckled, pointing at the wild spirit who was on his better behaviors.

"Yeah," She sighed agreeably. "we don't need any more ponies like you out in the world." a loving pat on his shoulder brought no objection from the animal. She slid off his side and went in to engulf the base of his neck into her arms."But I love you all the same." Mona assured him, though he lifted his head up again when she squeezed. Anticipating any further antics, she immediately let go, giggling. "Thank you so much, Raphael!" Mona quickly trotted up to the turtle to squeeze him herself. He almost fell backwards, but was quick to tighten his grip around the bars to keep himself up. "You have no idea how much this means to me!" She spoke on his shoulder. Although he couldn't hug her back, she could feel the love in his relaxed posture as time went on.

"Uh… um… Mona?"

"Hm?" She released him. His hands relaxed when he was able to regain balance on the bar.

"About the ride over here…" His voice trailed off, as well as his gaze. A nervus scratch of the neck confirmed such allegations. "Why did you do that?" She cocked her head to the side, or he could tell in the little light they had.

"Knock you out a few times?" she finished the thought.

"What! A few times?!" He exploded.

"Hush! What about it?" She dismissed him due to the hour of the night and to get to his point quicker.

"Why did you do that?" he paused. "Knock me out a couple times?" Mona Lisa shrugged, turning to go back to her horse.

"Who needs to know?" Her voice was flowy and unsuspecting as she went to smooth the hindquarters of the cherry bay animal. "Surely your brothers would use that type of information against you."

"What?" Did she have to spell it out?

"You're afraid of heights."

"Nope, not afraid." He shook his head violently, wanting to get such a thought out of both of their heads. "It's flying. And...the heights that come with it." He played. She had him, and there was no way to hide it. Having caught in a corner, the two laughed it off for a short period. "You did it because you didn't want the guys to blackmail me?"

"We already give you a tough time. No need to add to the list."

"That's decent, Mona."

"I know." A cocky smile and tilt of the head as she smoothed her horse over. "Besides, you're not always the big brute of the clan. You just stand out a little more. Big bodied, big voice."

He was standing up now. Raphael shook his head and his arms as he approached her. Did she really just say that? About muah?

"We're not talking about screamin' matches 'cause if I remember correctly, you're the one yelling all the time." He cleared his throat to create a higher pitched sound. "'Oh my gosh! Donnie, again with the pop tarts?! Leo! Stop letting the kettle whistle! Mikey! If you drop another piece of food and leave it there you're gonna end up missing!'" he joked (although it was plenty truthful). The lizard lady dropped her jaw in disbelief.

"I don't say that!" She defended herself, combing her fingers through Nan's mane. "I said 'you'll never be found again!'". She added, laughing at herself. A sigh escaped her lips, as well as Raphael's. It had been a long night, but hanging out here proved relaxing (despite the short term yelling). "Remember when we used to have little screaming matches?" her voice mellowed out with the quiet night.

"How can I forget? I was accused of having a baby with you." He relived the memory, the painful memory of being in the hasi for absolutely **nothing**. Totally not cool, Splinter. Slowly, he approached the two. Wanting to get the feel of the fellow, he outstretched a careful hand. After hearing how wild he was, he was cautious as to how and where he was to place his hand. If all goes wrong, his legs were ready to bound out of there. Each second, he struggled to when he could do it and didn't have enough bravery to carry through. Tired of waiting for the action, Mona took the matters into her own hands by taking his. She gripped his wrist evenly and pressed it against the horse's skin. Once there, she let him go feel for himself. The horse did nothing, much to his relief. His courage gathered up quickly as he began to rub and scratch along the animal's side.

"Yeah, that was messed up of them." Mona agreed.

"Feels like a long time ago."

"We've gone a long way. Now we're just kicking it, with psycho-pony over here." She patted him on the neck, but with love of course. When she stopped, so did the sound in the world. Crickets were off at a distance despite the long tall grasses that surrounded them. "I'm really gonna miss you, Raph." she admitted. Being with Venus again was going to be wonderful, but of all the fun things she had done with her three brothers, and he especially, it'll be just as bad as missing Venus. The red clad turtle smirked, but it was quite genuine. If you could see in the light, it was actually his reaction to blushing.

"Can I say one more thing?" he asked.

"No one's stopping you."

"I just figured, you know…" His hands kept moving along the horse's back to keep him together. "Since we'll be apart it'll give you some time to think it over and not be pressured by this." Pressured. Oh, boy. What's this turtle up to?

"Yes?" Mona asked, encouraging him to go on. He put his eyes to the ground. It was so quiet she can hear the gulp going down his throat.

"Mona…"

"All aboard the Falcon express!" Vern hollered for all of China to hear. The gang had returned from their little tour of the village until it came time to head back home. At the moment, the family was in the field in which the airplane was parked.

"Hey! If anybody's gonna be naming stuff, it's gonna be me!" Michelangelo yelled back in defiance.

"Just tell us when and what plane you guys are boarding. They'll take the horses and you guys can stay with them instead of the cargo hold if you want." Raphael explained to Mona Lisa, to whom they were saying their goodbyes to.

"Thank you, Raphael." She smiled, then reached out to hug him. No longer on a rail, he was able to use his arms to wrap around her body. "I'll miss you."

"Bringing the horses was my idea too!" Michelangelo ripped their hug apart for his own selfish purposes. His older brother scowled, but Mona took him in open arms.

"Of course, I couldn't forget Michelangelo!" She treated him like a child, but he could not deny. He stretched out his arms wide and scooped up the lizard girl in loving embrace. She squeaked at the sudden gesture, but could only shrug when she saw that loving face below her. "You can touch all my magazines, just don't mess them up." She petted his bald head until he brought her back to the ground.

"You got it chief!" He saluted. Mona returned it, skeptically, but let it slide for it was the typical behaviors of her littlest brother. Soon, his eyes looked for someone else. "Where's the other Sista?"

"I got her first!" Donatello announced before Mikey could tear them apart. The next morning, Venus was better off' no longer needing the support, but still slow at the walk. The turtle took the precautionary measures by holding both of her hands as he clown around with her with questions. "When Evil gangs try to take over China again, what do we do?" He asked like a father quizzing their young child. Venus giggled, then composed herself to answer rhythmically.

"Call the family."

"That's my girl!" Donnie praised her. Unable to give her a hug, he found the kind gesture of placing a kiss upon her hand suiting enough. The turtle girl blushed for she had never experienced the gesture herself. It was cute. "Until next time, Venus. I have some new projects you'll be excited to come back to."

"Can't wait. I hate to be leaving you again. I just got my best friend back." her tone was dreary and upset. To fix the mood, Donnie pretended to sound choked up.

"It's one of those long distance relationships that got to work." Venus couldn't keep a straight face with that act. "You'll stay strong?" Eventually, she had to become indifferent to match his tone with her answer.

"Yeah, yeah I think so." That straight face did not last long when she burst into a fit of laughter. She squeezed his hand. "Later, Donnie."

"Later, V." The two released their grip on one another. As he went up the plane's stairs, he took a second to look behind him. Venus waved with a raised hand. He returned the favor until being forced into the plane by the other two brothers behind him. The last of them had his belongings on his back. Having finished his goodbyes with everyone else, now it was the time to say farewell to his travelling companion. Venus could hear him due to the sounds of the pack on his back.

"This is it. Ready to go back home?" she asked with a grin. Leonardo took a deep breath.

"I can't wait to show Sensei everything Miwa had taught me." He turned to face her. He couldn't touch her, but he could touch her with words. "Thank you so much for coming along with me."

"Thank you. You've brought me back to my memories and now I have newer ones with my extended family." That smile, so genuine and true. Leonardo could not just leave it like that. She wanted her to smile for another reason, or so he hoped she would.

"Since I'll be across the world and all, I just… There's been something I've been wanting to tell you since we've been together these past few months." He stopped. "I just hope this doesn't turn you away-." A finger pressed upon his lips, silencing him.

"A tale for next time. Your pilot is waiting." Venus reminded him. He did not know what to do, but he knew there was some speculation in the air. Without a word, he nodded and turned away to board the plane. The engine had been revving up as the others boarded. Mona came up from behind her sister. Both shared lovely smiles with one another. Donatello and Vern waved from their higher nests until the plane began to roll forward. Passing by, the three other brothers made their faces clear in the windows by waving. You can see Michelangelo, being the silly goofball he is by making facing; Leonardo, simply waving away; Raphael, who was no longer as afraid of flying as he had, waved timidly. Mona lifted her arm and presented him her bicep. 'Be Strong' was her message to him. The red clad turtle nodded in the time remaining to watch the girls before they rolled by. Before the jets could pass them, the girl made their distance away from the aircraft. Both sisters held onto one another as they watched the plane roll into the grass. Soon, it lifted off the ground, carrying away the wonderful bunch off and over the chinese mountains in search of American soil once more. The place where it all began.

Book 3: Olá Americano… Turtle?


	42. Ficlets and Extras

~~~~~~~~~Morning- 3 hours Till Departure~~~~~~

It wasn't too hard to wake the newly arrived mutants up given they woke up and fell asleep continuously that night to get better accustomed to the time difference in the new land. Vernon insisted that he stay behind and prep the plane for its departure. During this time, Venus and Mona took the time giving the boys a tour. Being underground in New York, even the vacant and silent village above ground was just as interesting. One would point out an object or building, signaling one of the girls to enthusiastically tell the story about it. Up the road, a familiar woman sat in her chair just outside her house. Mona brightened up quickly when she recognized her. Venus, who noticed her excitement, began a nice trot towards her. Mona followed right behind, initiating into a small chase of mutants skipping over to see what the commotion was all about. With the head start, Venus found her first.

"(Mu,)" She puffed, hunched over on her knees. The elderly woman turned from the view she had been staring at and to the tiring turtle. "(I brought some friends for you!)" Venus chirped from her newly found air.

"(What do you mean, Mei Pei Chi?)"

"(Did you miss me, Syun Mu?)" Behind the turtle girl, a green blur came close. As it barreled towards her, the shape became smaller and divided into different pieces.

"(I can't tell, is that your sister?)" When it came by Venus' side, her vision of her began to clear as she leaned on her sister to catch a quick breath. "(Mona Lisa! So gorgeous! And all grown up! How old are you now dear? About 18?)" Mu smacked her with an assortment of overly excited questions. Mona, grinning as much as her lips could let her, kneeled down to her level.

"(19 now.) A short laugh. "( Love to see you again.)" Her voice deepened and relaxed. Mu placed a fragile hand on her shoulder. Just then, dark shade fell upon her legs. The woman looked up, but couldn't place the figure. It was larger than either of the girls, but definitely green.

"(Is that you… Sorry I had forgotten your name. Leonard? Leon?)" she questioned. Venus shook her head.

"(Leonardo and no, this is his brother, Donatello.)" she clarified. Venus then stood up to fetch the distant turtle to meet her.

"(He's Venus' best friend.)" Mona added when he approached her. As his appearance became clear, he surely was not Leonardo.

"(Ah! Yes, you are very different from Mei's boyfriend.)"

"(Boyfriend?)" Mona's mischievous voice was matched by a raised brow, and a smile that slowly turned towards the turtle girl's direction. Venus rolled her eyes as she brought the mindful Donatello up.

"(Apparently.)"

"Who do I have the pleasure of meeting?" He asked when he kneeled before her.

"A close family friend, Syun Mu." Immediately upon meeting, he offered his pal to her. By instinct, Mu placed her hand atop his. She could feel the differences in his hand compared to hers. Precisely, his fingers grasped the ends of hers.

"Good morning, Miss Syun Mu." As suave as he was (trademarked by Angel), he offered her the same greeting by placing his lips atop her hand.

"(I like this one!)" She beamed. When he released her hand, she brought it up to her mouth to hide her blush. Donatello thought it was cute to see such a display and chuckled lightly.

"(He likes you too.)" Venus brought up the next turtle to meet. At first, he passed on the offer, but eventually gave in to the silent fight he and the turtle girl got into. In the end, he had to admit he was curious and interesting to meet such an individual. She walked him up like Donatello. Normally, he wouldn't allow such treatment, but he was so large and notoriously brutal. Best that someone kept him in check. "(This is the next oldest, Raphael.)" Mu's eyes widened in amazement. Typical.

"(Very large boy, he is.)" she commented. Raphael pushed Donatello aside. The younger sibling stood up and stepped aside to allow the next brother to kneel before her.

"(We've noticed.)" Venus muttered, not out of the content of her comment but to the jittery, indecisive Raphael who was wondering whether or not to shake her hand. Mu's so much smaller than April or Angel ever was. What if he broke her hand? She's so old and adorable, what's a turtle to do? Mona urged him on by giving a crook of her head. Raphael gulped and slowly outstretched his hand.

"How'd ya do?" he asked slowly. Mu grasped his back. It was barely a touch as their intertwined hands shook once. He wasn't going to take the chance and retreated immediately.

"(Firm tone, gentle hands. Gentle giant, I believe he is.)"

"(You wouldn't know the half of it, Mu.)" The lizard girl joked. When he eyed him, she gave him a wink. With that notion, he felt a little better about himself and stood up for the next one in line. Maybe he should have stayed down there.

"(This-)" Before Venus could give an introduction, the youngest swooped in. His knee dragged along the dirt, back arched with arms spreading behind him. The boy took a second and bowed before her, placing his hands above her toes, letting them rest there.

"Michelangelo, dear angel and goddess!" he grovelled. Mu, much amazed and much confused, looked into this weird display of affection.

"(He called you a goddess.)" Mona hinted.

"(Now, this one's my favorite. I'll probably have to snatch him up for myself.)"

"(I don't know, he's the youngest out of all of us.)" She played along.

"(What do you mean? I'm still a little girl.)"

"(Indeed you are. We're just bringing them along before they have to go home. Leonardo also wanted to say goodbye.)" The turtle girl got behind her chair, gripping its wicker edge.

"(You are leaving? But you all just showed up!)"

"(Venus and I are sticking around for a short while,)" Mona's head cocked towards the green boys behind her. "(but the guys need to get back home.)" she elaborated. Suddenly, Mu became frantic.

"(Where is he? Where is my future son-in-law?)" she cried out. Venus lowered and shook her head. Mona called Leonardo over. He was hiding behind everyone else mostly because of her assumptions of him from the last time. Bashful, he was as he approached her. The older woman's guiding hands to come to her quickened his pace until he kneeled before her.

"(My dear boy, you leave me so soon?)" she asked, suddenly forgetting that he does not know a word she was saying. Silence. He looked up to Venus for some guidance. The girl nodded blatantly that could be translated to nod back. He did. "(Take care of your family and I wish you the best of luck on the other side of the world.)" she prayed, and then smiled. "(I'll watch over your turtle princess.)"

"She said she wishes you luck and to protect your family." Venus loosely translated. The blue banded terrapin grinned at her, then at Mu before giving her a quick, respectful bow.

"(I'd hate to leave right away, but the boys are limited on time above ground.)" Venus came from around the chair.

"(Above ground?)" she asked. What could she mean by that? "(Ah, well, I won't hold onto you children much longer.)"

~~~~~~~Sometime Later; In the fields w/ some school children ~~~~~~~

Just recently, the children were let out of their small schoolhouse to enjoy play in its backyard. The number of students grew slightly since the two girls were in class. Their schoolteacher was still at it and was thrilled that the two paid a visit and were interacting with the curious children. The older ones have seen or heard of the turtle girls but were mesmerised by the growing number of mutants. Others were so young they don't remember the girls and were completely in awe. At the moment, Raphael was sitting in a swarm of bouncy children. He dared not grab one, but let them wrestle all over his large body and grab him. Mona was there to help monitor the children as well as get her hair played with by some of them.

"(He's got a big head!)" One child commented when they placed their stubby hands on his temples. Raphael blinked as a reaction.

"(Are you Shrek's cousin? My brother likes Shrek.)" another asked, head cocked to the side.

"What'd they say?" He asked while a group of them decided to play tug of war with his bulky arm. A small army of four tried to lift it, but only could they play with it with some help from the owner of it.

"You've got a big head." She stated bluntly. The red banded terrapin whipped his head to meet with the lizard girl. All she could do was shrug. "With love, Raph, with love. They're just kids."

"What is this?" Donatello asked a ways away. Although he spoke in a completely different language, he used universal hand motions to get somewhere. "This?" he repeated, pointing directly to the colorful, feathered ball the little girl was repeatedly kicking to keep it in the air. It resembled mostly to a soccer trick.

"Jiàn zi." she answered. "(See?)" the girl dropped the ball. She brought her foot up, letting the ball hit the base of her foot arch. When it got into the air again, she switched legs and repeated the maneuver until she couldn't keep it going anymore.

"Let me try." His fingers tipped towards him, the universal sign of "gimme". Without a flinch, he kindly handed the ball straight into his ball. Donnie dropped the ball and began to copy her movements. Her smile was wider than ever as he kept it going, kicking it higher and higher as she wished.

"(Higher! Higher!)" a young boy cried. Michelangelo, unlike Raph who was afraid to touch the youth, had lifted the child up in a Superman pose. Airplane noises were made as he spun him around and dipped in up and down.

"Fighter pilot!" He chanted. "Dive bomb!" A deep swoop excited the child as he screamed in joy.

"And HERE COMES THE GIANT FIST!" Leonardo shouted, winding up a fist out of play. Michelangelo gasped and began to go in a different direction. Venus jumped out of the way as the two boys were chased by their leader.

"Fly fighter pilot! Go! Go! Go!"

~~~~~Last Stop; Mei Mei's Dress Shop~~~~~~

"(We've come to return your clothing!)" Mona called as they all entered through the shop's door. Mei Mei was already at the counter, beaming as they entered.

"(Welcome back! Did you guys save China?)"

"(Yep!)" Venus led a gang of mutants as they approached the counter.

"(Well, I knew you guys would.)" She pointed a finger as she winked.

"(Leo and his brothers are setting off for America again, so were returning your stuff.)" Leonardo brought up the large kimono she had let him borrow. He had to admit, it was a little hard to let them go, but they weren't his. When he set it on the counter, Mei Mei pushed it away from her. A disgusted expression overtook her face when she did.

"(Keep it.)"

"(Really?)" Venus raised a brow.

"(Definitely! Call it a gift from your favorite Chinese girl.)"

"She's giving them to you." She turned to Leonardo. His face instantly brightened up.

"Wow, really?" He gasped. Mei mei proceeded to nod and smile "Thank you so much, Mei Mei."

"(I have just but one request before they all leave.)"

"(What is it?)" Mona questioned, but before she could answer, she turned to Leonardo who now admired his new kimono in his hands. "Would you be willing to do her a favor?"

"Of course, anything!" Venus gave the 'yes' to her friend. English speaker or not (all these characters seem to forget that these guys don't speak chinese, weird), Mei Mei beckoned Venus to come close. When she did, she whispered her wish into her ear. Venus pulled away and gave the girl an unknowing look. Mei Mei shrugged with a smile, quite guilty.

"Let her hold your arm." Venus shook her head as the girl came from around the counter. Leo was surprised by the weird request, but he did say 'anything'. As apprehensive as he was, he allowed the girl to come by his side. She tried to hide her blush as she reached out and engulfed herself in his scaly arm. "Flex." He raised a brow back to Venus. Was she serious? "Just do it, for her." She pleaded in the name of her friend. What was this girl's intentions? Thoughts of him being a scary mutant were questioned as he pondered other possibilities. Either it was a once in a lifetime thing or she was really digging him, or both. Either way, a promise was a promise. He squeezed the arm she latched onto. The somewhat soft tissue hardened on cue. The girl jumped as her fingers tried to squeeze into his rock-hard skin. He could only keep it up for a short period of time until his muscle became soft again. Those in the background were both laughing and confused at her wish and reaction. He was embarrassed by their actions, but looking at that overly happy smile of that one girl made him smile too. Suddenly, she pressed her body against his arm, engulfing his green limb in her grasp.

"(Please! Can I have them all?!)" she pleaded.

"(I'd give them to you, but I think it won't be safe for them.)" Mona spoke out of fake concern. Mei Mei looked up at Leonardo, then to the other mutants behind them.

"(You're probably right.)" she admitted.

Jazz Rollins, Jonathan Ellis, and Oroku Saki were all incarcerated and charged with multiple felonies. Rollins and Ellis, now believing Bebop and Rocksteady are their only names, used what little brain power they have to recognize situations or sights in which they create memories together as friends. Oroku Saki tolerates them only because he knows who they truly are and wish to get them back to their previous state. These lead up to the events of _Out Of The Shadows._

And Now for some Questions our Chinese girls have immediately after arriving back home in New York:

"Y'all got new clothes?"

"Yeah."

"What's this I hear about an alien scare?"

"Ummm-."

"Why didn't you call us?"

"Well…"

"You met who?" (Casey)

"You were seen by who?!" (Police Department)

"You guys get medals and we're still unknown?! Uncool."

"Saved the world a second time and we weren't there to help. Just great."

"Heard DeAndre Jordan slipped on pizza thrown on the court. Vern was also hit with spitballs. Did you guys have anything to do with that?"

"Funny Story about that-."

"You went to Brazil?"

"Yes, but only because-."

"Bebop and Rocksteady are back?"

"Sort of."

"Who's Baxter Stockman?"


End file.
